A late start

Dolly and I were able to make it as far as Grayling, Michigan today. We probably could have made it farther today, but we got off to a late start due to other commitments at Wiky. But everything has worked out all right, and we should be able to make it to Columbus by mid-afternoon tomorrow. And we're planning on remaining in Ohio until sometime Tuesday. Dolly and I should be back in Wiky by sometime Wednesday.

After rising from slumber around 9:30 this morning, Dolly and I spent most of our time this morning packing and getting things together and then having some breakfast. In the meantime, we had thought that we'd be able to leave for Ohio by about noon; we didn't leave Wiky until after 1. We made stops at the Bank of Montreal branch in Manitowaning, at the Tim Horton's in Blind River, and then the Casino Sault Ste. Marie to gamble a bit and have some supper. Apart from that, our traveling was pretty quick and smooth until we reached the Canadian/U.S. border.

I was pleased to see that traffic wasn't backed up for 45 minutes like it was the last time I crossed back into the U.S. after going over the International Bridge. But we did have to sit in traffic for maybe 15 minutes as three rows of cars passed through the border crossing. Dolly and I ended up in the middle of the three lanes, and the middle lane turned out to be the slowest-moving one. We discovered why the lane moved so slowly once we arrived at the border guard station.

The guard there really wasn't unfriendly, but he was very thorough in his questioning. He held us at the border for perhaps five minutes as he grilled us, looked under the hatch of the 3, and examined our documentation. After running our documents through his computer for a few minutes, he returned my passport and Dolly's status card and sent us on our way. We thanked him and made our way to the bridge tollbooth, and we stayed on I-75 South for several minutes before we hit a rest area right before the Mackinaw Bridge. We paid another bridge toll of $2.50 to cross the four-mile-long suspension bridge. It was starting to get really dark by the time we crossed the bridge, but we still had a good view of the water and surrounding countryside.

It was a little before 9 this evening when we finally left the confines of the bridge. At that time, I strangely felt that I had plenty of energy left. But I felt that it would still be wise to stop for the night after about another hour of driving. We reached Grayling within about an hour, and we found a Days Inn where we plan to spend the night. The room was a bit more expensive than I had anticipated, but the accommodations are very nice. Dolly and I should be able to get a good rest here tonight.

While we were waiting to be served at the hotel, I noticed there was a man there who looked familiar. My guess is that he's a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe. The only reason I'm making such a guess is because the man reminded me so much, from the way he looked to the way he spoke, of my friend David Pego, a mentor of mine who died a few years back. I never had the opportunity to speak to the man and ask him where he's from, but I'm content with my guess.

Dolly and I are both pretty tired from our adventures today, and we have many more adventures ahead of us tomorrow as we make our way the rest of the distance to Ohio. It looks like it should be a good traveling day out there, and it will be good to get back on the road. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy tonight's rest and fine company I have.

NDN taco at last

My time to eat an NDN taco came about 24 hours after it had been originally planned, but I finally had one of Dolly's NDN tacos for supper tonight over at her dad's place. And it was really, really good, just as I expected.

Apart from eating the NDN taco and running errands around town, it's been a fairly uneventful day. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, and it's provided more opportunities for me to rest and relax. Today's was another morning during which I was able to really sleep in and catch up on my rest. And once I finally rose from slumber, I found Dolly had blueberry pancakes prepared for the two of us. Like the NDN tacos, they were very, very good. I'll have to fix something like that for Dad when I get back to South Dakota in another week and a half.

After breakfast and showering, I mainly hung around Dolly's house, did some research online, and helped her with painting some more boxes. Dolly and I then took another short walk around the community, picked up some goods from Andy's, and then drove up the hill to Rabbit Island. We didn't plan to have the supper tacos for a few hours, but Dolly and I took our time getting everything ready. In the meantime, Dolly cooked a pizza for us so those of us at the house would have something to tide us over until supper was ready.

A short bike ride with Dolly, Alec, and Ashley followed supper. Alec and Ashley had their own bikes, but Dolly and I had to borrow bikes from Sarah and Steven. At first we thought that I would ride Sarah's bike and Dolly would ride Steven's bike. But we found that me riding Steven's bike and Dolly riding Sarah's bike worked better. Using such an arrangement, there was no need to make seat adjustments. Our ride with the kids covered no more than a mile; we took a quick jaunt down an off-road trail and then road back to Dolly's dad's place. Once we got back to the house, Dolly and I biked maybe a half-mile up the road before we headed back to the house.

Dolly and I headed back down into Wiky once we finished with our ride and visited with her dad and others before they headed for bingo. We arrived at Dolly's house a few minutes later and then walked down to Audrey's house for a birthday party for Audrey's brother Sonny and her niece Katrina. The food was good, and it was nice to get to know more people and to enjoy the fun and laughter of the evening. Everyone was really great, and I'm looking forward to being able to hang out with everyone again in about a week when we have the backyard jam at Audrey's. It should be a lot of fun, and it will be good to be able to play drums alongside other musicians here.

The remainder of the evening since we returned to Dolly's has been pretty quiet. Dolly has spent some more time working on her boxes, and I've checked messages a few time and have seen how the market has performed today. I've also received some messages from iUniverse stating that my book has completed final production, and I should receive my author copies of the book sometime within the next week to 10 days. So that means that the books will probably be on my doorstep by the time I return to South Dakota.

As I write these words, Dolly and I are sitting in the living room enjoying some TV before crashing for the night. It's definitely been another good day and we both still have a good deal of energy left. But we need to rest ourselves for our journey to Ohio tomorrow. We won't make it all the way to Columbus tomorrow I'm sure, but we'll get as far as we can.

More rest and relaxation

I've had another good day today. It's been nice and relaxing, and there's been plenty of food. Then again, I wouldn't expect to experience anything else during a visit to Wiky.

Even though I wasn't as tired as I was a few days ago when i drove from Brookings to the Soo, I was still plenty tired by the time I went to bed last night. So I made sure I slept in this morning. I can't remember the exact time, but my guess is that I finally rolled out of bed this morning around 10:30. If I had been back in South Dakota, that means I would have met the day around 9:30 in the morning. My body is still acclimating itself to Eastern Time.

I enjoyed a fine breakfast of Special K cereal and some toast. I fixed the Special K, but Dolly prepared the toast for me. Special K has been one of my favorite cereals of late, and I've grown fond of having a breakfast of such cereal and toast.

Once Dolly and I finished eating, we got ready and headed out for a walk around town. Our initial goal was to visit the home of Dolly's cousin Ann, but Ann wasn't home. Having failed to find Ann, we started heading toward Gail's office. In the meantime, Gail drove past us as we walked and we met up with her at Dolly's house a few minutes later. We discussed plans for having Indian tacos later on this evening, visited for a few minutes, and then went our separate ways until later this afternoon. After we finished visiting with Gail, we walked back into town and left a message for Ann at the thrift store her workplace operates. And while we were at the thrift store, we hung out with Aaron for a few minutes and visited with some of his clients and co-workers.

We learned that Sarah and Gail had all the needed ingredients for Indian tacos, so we didn't need to pick up anything from Andy's. Dolly and I may not have needed any ingredients, but we did want some snacks and drinks. So each of us picked up some pop and some chips at the pharmacy before heading back to Dolly's house for a few hours. I also picked up a magazine on digital photography at the pharmacy. I haven't been able to spend much time with the magazine yet, but I'm sure I will over the next several days.

Speaking of printed matter, i received an e-mail from iUniverse today telling me my book has completed final production, and I should receive my copies of the book within a few weeks. It sounds as though the book will be available online and in bricks-and-mortar bookstores within four months. And that reminds me: I should get in touch with some of the local news media in Brookings who have expressed interest in doing stories on the publication of my book.

Dolly and I headed up the hill toward Rabbit Island around 5 this afternoon. On the way, we stopped and visited with Gail in the Andy's parking lot for a few minutes. It was then we also remember that Auntie Isabelle's daughter Wendy was having a birthday party this afternoon, so we readied ourselves for that. When we reached Rabbit Island, we hung out in Dolly's dad's place for a bit and then headed next door for the party. There were at least two dozen of us there helping Wendy celebrate her 46th birthday, and those of us in attendance enjoyed pizza, cake, Caesar salad, and similar dishes. Because of the party food, most of us decided we were too full for Indian tacos, so we're going to have the tacos tomorrow evening. Dolly and I already browned some hamburger this evening, so all that's left to do is add seasoning to the meat, make the frybread, and assembled the toppings.

Since we returned to her house, Dolly and I have spent the past few hours painting art boxes and watching movies. Dolly has done most of the painting, of course, but I did help slather one box in black paint. Dolly will handle the finishing details. As for movies, we've watched Powwow Highway and about half of Dances With Wolves. My guess is we'll finish the Kevin Costner movie tomorrow evening.

I haven't felt as energetic today as I did yesterday, but I've still felt quite good and relaxed. And I'll take and enjoy as many days like that as I am able. There's no question about that.

Arrival in Wiky

Today has been a truly pleasant day. I've felt good from the moment I first rose from sleep this morning around 8:30 to now as I'm about to go to bed. I'm not sure how to describe how I feel other than that I've felt like I've had plenty of energy today. I always have enough energy to make it through each day, but today I feel like I have abundance.

After waking this morning, I jumped in the shower and took a few minutes to gather my possessions together in my hotel room. I then loaded everything into the car and enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel before checking out and heading east toward Espanola. My original thought had been to check out of the hotel and then head to Husky for breakfast. But I wanted to get on the road as quickly as I could, so that's why I partook of the hotel's breakfast. And I figure that Dolly and I will stop and eat at Husky on the way down to Ohio in a few days anyway.

Today's nearly four-hour drive turned out to be much like yesterday's drive, at least in terms of environment. The sky was grey for much of the voyage, and periods of heavy rains sometimes made traveling on Highway 17 treacherous. But the heavy rain was nothing I haven't seen before, and I was able to handle it with little trouble. I was able to maintain a fairly consistent speed of around 120 km/h, and I took advantage of several passing lanes to move beyond slower-moving traffic. Traffic was heavy at various times, particularly when traveling through towns like Blind River.

The only stops I made between The Soo and Wiky were at a Tim Horton's so I could get a large mint iced capp supreme and at the Mac's station in Espanola so I could fill up the 3 with gas. Gas was only 93.5 cents per liter at Mac's; it was well over $1 per liter in Little Current. I'm sure I could have made it all the way to Wiky on the fuel I had, but I figured it would be smart to take advantage of lower-priced gas.

I arrived at Dolly's around 1:30 and discovered she wasn't there. Once I stepped through her open doorway, I saw she had left a note on the table for me. The note said that she had to run some errands with Audrey and would be back soon. And back soon she was. She arrived at the house around 2 p.m. As could be expected, we spent the first several minutes together greeting each other and then talking about what's been happening in our lives as of late. We enjoyed some chips and pop for a bit before we retired in front of the TV for a few hours.

Around 5, Sarah, Aaron, and Ashley stopped by for a few minutes to visit. And Dolly and I fixed some supper and then headed up to Rabbit Island not long after. We hung out at Dolly's dad's place for a while and watched a DVD before we headed to the cabin for a bit. The full moon managed to peek through the thick clouds for a while, and we enjoyed the coolness of the evening before returning to Dolly's house to crash for the night.

In spite of all the energy I've had today, I definitely feel tired now. It's been a busy day, albeit not as busy as it's been the past few days. Still, I feel relieved and tired now that I know that one leg of my journey is at an end, and I now have a few days to just kick back and relax. I'm really going to enjoy my time in Wiky, as I always do. And in the meantime, I'm looking forward to heading down to Ohio on Friday.

Another long haul

Today's drive from Brookings to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is among the longest I've made in a while. Starting at 4 this morning Brookings time, I covered nearly 800 miles on the open road. My journey to Wikwemikong is not yet over, but tomorrow's drive will be far shorter. I should be able to make it from the Days Inn where I'm staying to Dolly's house in just under 4 hours. I will get plenty of sleep tonight and will enjoy the comforts this hotel room has to offer. In the meantime, I will look forward to seeing Dolly and her family yet again.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about today's drive. My drive this morning began in darkness, and the sun began to peek above the horizon around 5:30 Central Time. The sun didn't show it's face until I was well into Wisconsin, however, as grey clouds loomed overhead. There were a few times when the sky let loose some drops of rain, but the precipitation didn't amount to much. It was just enough rain to make me have to use my windshield wipers. But it wasn't heavy enough that my wiper blades made clean sweeps across the windshield.

I was able to drive fairly long distances without having to stop. The only times I stopped today were to have some breakfast in Wisconsin, to fuel up a couple of times in Wisconsin and then in the U.P. of Michigan, and then at the border. Speaking of the border, the crossing today was as easy as I had hoped. The border guard had a pleasant disposition, and she only asked me a few questions before letting me on through.

As one would expect, I felt pretty fried by the time I pulled into the parking lot of the Days Inn earlier this evening. It's no surprise that I felt that way, though, considering that I didn't sleep much last night and spent about 15 hours in the car today. It's possible that I pushed myself a little harder than I should have today, but I'm all right now. And I feel good about what I accomplished today in traveling as far as I did. My goal yesterday was to make it to the Soo, and I've done just that.

Since I've arrived in the Soo, I haven't done all that much. I settled into my room for a few minutes before I walked to the casino for a while to gamble and have some supper. As I usually do, I ordered breakfast for supper. The food was good, but it wasn't as good as I recall it being in the past. The home fries didn't have much flavor regardless of how much seasoning I added, and the scrambled eggs I usually savor were pretty lifeless. Also, I have a hunch that I didn't enjoy my meal as much as I'd hoped because I was so tired and because Dolly wasn't with me. Today is the first time I've gone to the casino alone to eat, and I miss Dolly's company during times like that. She and I will pass through this way again on the way to Ohio in a few days, though, so perhaps we can share a meal at the casino then.

I finished eating and then played gambled a bit. Rather than play a variety of games tonight, I spent $20 in one machine. The $20 went fairly quickly, and I decided to quit after that. i then walked the few blocks back to the hotel and I've been here ever since then. I took a dip in the pool for a while before I returned to my room. I don't feel quite as dog tired now as I did earlier, but I'm sure that the easing of my tiredness won't prevent me from getting to sleep.

Since I mentioned sleep, it appears that its time has come. In spite of the length of the drive and the trials of traveling such a distance in a day, it's been a good day to travel. And I'm content knowing that I have a comfortable place to sleep tonight and will see one of my dearest friends again tomorrow.

Another Sunday, another autocross

I made it to my second autocross in two weeks today. Last week's autocross was in Rapid City and today's was in Sioux Falls. There was an event in Rapid City today, too, but I elected to go to the one in Sioux Falls. The Rapid City autocross would have been fun, but it made more sense for me to attend the one in Sioux Falls. I'm a part of the Sports Car Club of Siouxland, after all.

Today's course, which was designed by my friend Adam from Austin, Minnesota, was a lot of fun and we had another great turnout. I don't have the final numbers with regard to participants, but I'm sure we had at least 40 cars. 40 to fifty cars seems to be the standard number of drivers we've had at each event this year. And so far as I know, that's a greater number at each event than the club has had in some time. Those kinds of numbers bode well for our club.

I was the second person to arrive at the course, and our course designed Adam was the second arrived. Since we were the only ones on hand for a while, he and I took it upon ourselves to start distributing cones around what would be today's course. Adam remarked that he wished that we had more cones than we do, but we were able to make do with what we had.

The course Adam designed wasn't terrible tight or technical, but it was very fast. Russ Wiles in his BMW M3 Light was able to run times in the 67-second range. My best timed run was 74.8 seconds. I ran a 73.4 second run during the fun run portion of the autocross, but that time didn't count toward my timed runs. Still, it was good to know that I ran such a time when I felt that I'd had a fair bit of trouble running quickly and smoothly today.

Overall, I had a great time today, but at first blush I don't feel that I performed as well as I could have. It seems that I had trouble remembering a lot of the fundamentals of performance driving, and there were quite a few times that I pushed the car when I should have backed off and I backed off when I should have been pushing the car. Still, I have to remember that I've only got three years of experience under my belt and my car is bone stock and running on street tires. I also have to remember that when compared with the field as a whole, I probably finished in the top 30 or even in the top 30. That's still good in anyone's book. And I'm continually getting better, and the ultimate goal is to have fun.

I'd write a more complete description of how the day has gone, but I may save that for another day. I'm really, really tired tonight, and I want to go to bed soon so I can get up at 3 to begin another adventure in the morning. I'm heading for Wikwemikong tomorrow, and i'm hoping to make it as far as Sault Ste. Marie tomorrow before stopping for the night. But I'm ultimately planning to drive as far as I can tomorrow. If I make it to The Soo, that's great. If I don't make it, that's OK, too, so long as I go a reasonable distance. It will all hinge on how I feel tomorrow and how things go. Overall, I'm sure that this is going to be another great adventure in Ontario and Ohio, and it will be wonderful to see my dear friend Dolly and her family again. I can't wait.

A happy ending ... so far

The day started out kind of cold and gloomy, but it's ended well. I'm tired from driving all the way from Rapid City to Brookings after the autocross this afternoon. But I feel good otherwise, largely because I'm reflecting on how well things have gone in the past 24 hours or so.

My first act of the day, apart from checking out of the Super 8, was to take the Miata to Dakotaland Autoglass to get the windshield replaced. I'm really pleased the glass shop was able to replace the car's windshield today, and I'm even more pleased that I got the car back sooner than expected. Thanks to the shop's promptness and professionalism, I was able to autocross this weekend after all. In the meantime, they provided me with a loaner car so I didn't need to walk everywhere or take a cab.

I arrived at the parking lot of Central High School about a quarter after 8 this morning. Skies above were grey and a cool, sometimes cold breeze, swept through the area fairly consistently until after noon. There was already about a half-dozen people there setting up the course, and I joined in the effort to get the course ready to run. Today's course was pretty fast, so we drove it as a two-lapper. The course today is only the second two-lap one I've driven in my life.

Since I didn't have a car to run, I focused my efforts on visiting with various drivers and catching up with friends I've made in the past. There was little else to do while I was waiting for my car, so I made the best of the situation I could. It was good to talk to so many different people, and I'm glad I was able to contribute to the group effort.

By the time runs began at noon, we had 19 drivers. I chased cones and worked the radio during the first heat and then rode along with my friend Tim in his Porsche Boxster during the second heat. During the second runs of the first heat, I rode along with my buddy van in his black Subaru WRX STi. Riding along with Van was a blast; he's a really fast driver, and the rides with him were probably the closest I've come to a roller coaster ride in some time. I had a good time riding with him but must admit I felt a little woozy after climbing out of the little black sedan.

In order to get my bearings, I sat down next to Elaine, Marshall, and a few others who were watching affairs from the registration booth. In the meantime, Dakotaland Autoglass called to tell me that my car was finished, so I went to pick up the car and returned to the autocross. I was able to slip into the current run group, and the club was gracious enough to allow me to get in all five runs. The Black Hills Sports Car Club didn't need to show me such deference, but I really appreciate that the club did. And I had a blast out on the course. I haven't seen the final results, but I'm pretty confident I came in first or second in my place. And the car ran without a hitch, just as it did on the drive home to Brookings.

Once timed runs were done, it was time for fun runs. Van insisted that he wanted to take advantage of all the time we had, so everyone was free to run his car at no cost. I lost track of how many runs I made, but I made at least a dozen runs today. The fun runs didn't count toward our overall performance today, but I'm grateful that I was able to get so much practice time in. And it's gratifying to see one's times decrease with each successive run.

We tore down the course and had everything put away by around 4, so a small group of us went to the Arby's on Mount Rushmore Road to have some supper before going our separate ways. We visited for probably a half-hour altogether and then we parted company. I topped off the Miata's tank and then headed east on Interstate 90. And I rode Highway 14 the rest of the way east once I reached Wall.

As I said earlier, I'm pretty tired from all of the action of the past few days. But I feel good and am grateful that I was able to get home safely. And I know my car will get fixed, it's just a matter of time. The most important thing is that I wasn't hurt and was able to get home safely.

What a day

Today turned out to be wildly different from what I expected it to be. But then again, most days seem to turn out that way in one way or another.

My primary goal for the day was to get from Brookings to Belle Fourche safely. I accomplished that goal, but then another goal got tacked on top of that one: to get to Rapid City safely. I managed to accomplish that goal as well, but my car couldn't say the same thing if it could speak.

The drive between Brookings and Belle Fourche was uneventful, and I was able to make the trip, including stops, in just under seven hours. When I arrived, however, I learned that I would not be able to stay there after all because my friend Judy is in the process of moving her parents into her house. I didn't have any other place to stay, so I made a reservation for a Super 8 in Rapid City. Once I made the registration, I jumped back onto I-90 and set my sights east.

It began to rain by the time I reached Spearfish and skies darkened overhead and the rain grew stronger by the time I reached Sturgis. And it began to hail, first with small pieces and then baseball-sized chunks not long after Sturgis. Cars with their emergency flashers on lined the sides of the highway, and those of us who were lucky were able to huddle under freeway overpasses sought shelter from the storm. I was able to find an overpass to pull under, but I wasn't able to get the car completely under cover because so many cars were trying to fill a small space. My car was largely under cover, but hailstones still pelted my hood and front fenders. And when the hail stones hit, especially on my convertible top and windshield, it sounded like gunshots.

I sat under the overpass for perhaps 10 minutes when I thought the storm seemed to lessen a bit. With that thought in mind, I pulled out from under the overpass and got back onto the Interstate. Big mistake. As soon as I was back on the road, my car was once again pelted with hailstones. And it wasn't just the Miata's body that took a beating; my windshield got hit so hard that large cracks began to develop. I was especially startled when one stone hit the top driver's side portion of the windshield and left a gash and sent shattered safety glass flying throughout the interior of the car. Most of the glass ended up on the center console, floor, and seats, but fortunately none flew into my face. I was pretty frightened at that point, largely because I was afraid the windshield was going to shatter. But as luck would have it, the storm lessened dramatically as I continued east without cover, and soon only gentle rain fell as I pulled onto Lacrosse Street in Rapid City. I took a few minutes to assess the damage to my car, collect myself, and see if I could cancel my reservation thinking I would drive home to Brookings tonight.

When I arrived at the front desk, a young man named Frankie attended to me. At first he told me that I would need to cancel the reservation I had made through the Web site I had used to make the reservation. But he became more sympathetic to my cause when he saw the damage to my car and became aware that the storm was heading toward Rapid City. Seeing blood on my hands from where I had tried to sweep away some of the glass from the driver's seat probably changed his mind, too. He cancelled my reservation with no questions asked and later got me a room for the night when I decided that there was no way I could drive home with the windshield in the condition it was. He also contacted a few glass shops in town to see if any could fix my car over the weekend. He found none, but gave me the names of some glass shops I could try later. It looks as though doing that will have to wait until the morning.

In the meantime, I went to my room, called Dad and the insurance company and then headed downstairs. When I headed downstairs to the hotel's lobby, a bunch of us were herded into the lower level of the place for shelter. A tornado warning had been sounded for Rapid City, and we were directed to go to the lower level to protect ourselves from the storm. While I was in the lower level, I struck up conversations with others who had driven through the same storm I had, and we had a good time visiting and talking about where we'd come from and where we were going. And there was even one guest on the lower level who had offered us some of his extra pizza. Many of us were hungry from the day's journey, and we certainly welcomed the free food we'd been given.

The storm warning was lifted within a half hour and we were allowed to go about our business. Since then, I've run over to Burger King to grab some food, and I also picked up some juice at a nearby gas station. I'm now back in my room, feel exhausted, and am getting ready to crash. And I feel relieved that the storm that passed through Rapid City not long ago dropped nothing more than heavy rain. I just hope my windshield holds through the night. There's nothing I can do about that now, however, so I might as well sleep and take care of myself.

Catching up

It's been a few days since I've last written in this blog, but a fair bit has happened in the interim.

The biggest thing that's happened in the past several days is that I've finished work on my upcoming book, Living Through Leukemia: A Journey To Health. I started writing the book nearly two years ago, and all of the work I've put into it is coming to fruition. The final step was to proofread the book block and covers and then submit proof forms to iUniverse, the publisher. It sounds like it will take the publisher about another week or two to physically put the book together and get it ready for release. If I'm not mistaken, all that means that my copies of the book should arrive within a month and the book should be available online and in bricks-and-mortar book stores in a few months. No pun intended, but it's hard to believe that one chapter of my career as a writer is about to end and another is about to begin.

Apart from finishing up work on the book, I've sent some photos off to Ningwakwe Learning Press in Ontario to see which of them will be used for Ningwakwe's 2008 calendar. I'm really glad that Dolly and I visited with Maria Morrison at Ningwakwe in July, and I'm honored that Maria would like to use some of my photos for a calendar.

I've spent a good deal of time with Dad this week and it's been good. Most of the time we've spent together has been in Brookings, but we've spent a good deal of time on the road. We've made a few trips to Sioux Falls and one to Beresford. We've mainly hung out with each other during those travels, but we've also looked at quite a few cars, too.

In the meantime, I've continued work on the Web site for the South Dakota Council on World Affairs and have taken on the task of coordinating the 2008 SDSU Festival of Cultures. Most of my work on the festival will begin in September with the festival falling in April 2008. There's a lot of work to be done, but I'm confident I'll do a good job. And I'm glad to know that I'll have others, such as my friend Sandy, helping me along the way. It's good to know that I won't have to go it alone.

My plan for the weekend is to head out to the Black Hills for a few days. It'll be nice to head into western South Dakota for a few days and I'm really looking forward to autocrossing again on Sunday. This Sunday's event may be the last Black Hills Sports Car Club event I'll make it to this year, but I may make it to others. Beyond participating in the autocross, I'm going to spend some time cruising around the area and spending time with my friends Judy Branum and Judy Farris.

The Simpsons is on TV now and I'm checking some things online while Dad is working a Sudoku puzzle at the dining room table at his house. I'm going to hang out here for a bit before I run the Miata over to Volga to get some gas. In the meantime, Dad will follow the stylings of Judge Judy and he and I will head out for some supper after the show. An alternative would be for me to fix some supper, which I haven't done in some time. Regardless, we'll eat after a little while. And this evening I plan to do some walking and biking and will give the Miata a quick bath in my driveway. The car will get dirty again during the nearly 400-mile drive to Belle Fourche tomorrow, but washing the car will be fun. Besides, it's good exercise.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue to enjoy the relatively mild temperatures we've experienced today and spend as much time outside as I can. And I just remembered ... I need to pick up some toothpaste. So I'd better get to it.

Made it more than half way

I made it as far as Ladysmith, Wisconsin today. So I figure I've traveled about 700 miles today. That's not a bad chunk of about an 1,100 mile drive. My original goal was to make it to the Twin Cities, but that would have been pushing it a bit. Besides, I've got a nice big room with a hot tub and a king-size bed, so I have no complaints.

After loading up my stuff and having a quick bagel that Dolly prepared for me, I left Wiky around 10 this morning. I had originally planned to leave around 9, but left later because I wanted some more time to enjoy with Dolly. And there will be more time to enjoy with Dolly in the near future; I'll return to Wiky in about three weeks.

The drive between Wiky and The Soo was pretty nice; I was able to tune into the CBC and listen to some good news and talk radio programs. And there were only a couple of times when I stopped; I picked up some large mint Iced Capps at Tim Horton's in Espanola and Blind River. I figured I'd better take advantage of Tim Horton's while I can because I won't have access to any for a few weeks.

From there, the rest of my traveling time today was smooth. The only holdup was at the International Bridge crossing the St. Mary's River going from Canada into the U.S. Traffic going into the U.S. was blocked clear across the bridge, so I had to wait in line about 45 minutes before I was able to reach the entry point. When I reached the shades-wearing border guard, he asked me only a few questions and rifled through my luggage a bit before allowing me to pass. I cruised easily and quickly on I-75 and other highways between The Soo and Ladysmith. The only times I stopped were to fill up with gas and to get snacks and drinks for myself.

As anyone could imagine, I'm pretty tired from all the driving I've done today. But at least I won't have all that far to go tomorrow. And I'm really looking forward to having Mexican dinner at Arlington with my dad tomorrow evening. In the meantime, I'm still reflecting on all the wonderful times I've had with Dolly and her family on this latest journey, and I'm missing her and everyone. But my heart knows that I'll see Dolly and everyone else again soon. And my heart will cherish these additional times we've spent together and memories we've made together.

Got my car back

Today has been my last full day in Wiky for a while. And in truth, I haven't spent all that much time at Wiky today; I spent a good chunk of the day in Sudbury. But I've had some good times in Wiky today, too, and I'll return to the Bay of the Beavers in about three weeks.

Speaking of three weeks, it's hard for me to believe that I've been here at Wiky for about three weeks now; save for the Europe trip I was on about 12 years ago and the times I was in the hospital in Sioux Falls and living in Minneapolis, this Wiky trip has represented the longest continuous period of time I've been away from Brookings. On some levels it doesn't seem like I've been gone all that long. But in other senses, especially when I return to Brookings, I'm sure it will feel as though I've been gone forever. As past ones have been, this trip to Wiky has been a good one, just as I imagine future trips will be.

Dolly and I planned to leave for Sudbury today around 11; we were more or less on schedule. Our primary mission for heading northeast was to pick up the 3 from the dealership. The car has been repaired completely and is once again roadworthy. I'm happy with the quality of the repairs that have been made to the car, and the repaired portions look great. I have no doubt that the car will get me home safely as it has so many times before. The total repair cost (cost to me, that is) is around $750; about $500 of that is my insurance deductible, and the remainder is the rental cost of the Nissan Sentra I rented for a week.

It's odd; even though I've owned my 3 for close to a year and have put nearly 28,000 miles on it, it took me some time to readjust to driving it after driving the Sentra for a week. I've reacclimated myself to the car already, but it took a few minutes. I suppose such a sensation is natural.

Once we finished our business with the cars, Dolly and I headed for the big mall in Sudbury. We first enjoyed pasta, fries, and salad at the food court before we walked through Wal-Mart for a bit. I had hoped to find Diet Mt. Dew in Wal-Mart, but I had no such luck. Dolly's luck was good, however; she was able to put backpacks, socks, and underwear for Ross and Angel on layaway.

We left Wal-Mart a few minutes later and shopped at Giant Tiger Boutique. We picked up a few groceries there and Dolly found a blouse she really likes. The blouse is green, one of Dolly's favorite colors.

A final visit to Tim Horton's was our last stop in Sudbury. We returned to Wiky about two hours later and hung out at Dolly's place for a bit. We then headed to the cabin for a few hours so I could enjoy a final swim for a while. I savored the swim as best I could tonight. I'll be back in Wiky at the end of the month, but I'm unsure the water will be warm enough for swimming even then. I guess time will tell.

I'm not ready to sleep just yet, so I'm staying up for a bit doing some research online and burning some photo CDs for various family members. The photos on the CD should be of high-enough quality that the images should make good prints up to poster size. In any case, I hope everyone who sees the photos enjoys them.

My sixth visit to Wiky in a year is almost at an end. I'll need to get plenty of sleep tonight so I'll be ready for lots of driving over the next couple of days. It pains me to leave my friends and family behind here, but I'll leave tomorrow knowing I'll see everyone again soon. And I'll know that everyone has each other, and everyone will be well cared for. And in the meantime, I'll look forward to my next visit.

Easy Street

Another good day has almost come and gone. With the busyness of the powwow behind us, it's time for us to relax again for a while. It was good to be able to kick back a bit today at Dolly's house and at the cabin. And it will be nice to rest up tomorrow before I head back to Brookings on Thursday.

Speaking of tomorrow, the insurance company finally approved the repairs on the 3, and it sounds as though the car will be ready sometime tomorrow afternoon, probably around 1 o'clock. And from what I understand, the car will be fixed totally; even the bodywork will have been completed. I contacted the dealership about the bodywork, and the person with whom I spoke said that it was necessary to complete the bodywork in order to make the car driveable. Assuming everything has been done correctly, that means I shouldn't have to have any additional work done once I return to South Dakota. That wasn't the original plan, but it sounds nice at this point.

Between making my phone calls to the insurance company and dealership and heading to the cabin for Brannon's birthday party, Dolly spent most of her time cleaning up around the house and going to the store to get groceries. In the meantime, I continued to look at the final proof of my leukemia book. The final proofs and proof forms aren't due until Friday the 17th, but I should have no trouble getting everything submitted before then. And once everything is finished, I figure I should get my copies of the book within about a month. It's hard to believe that another big project like that is nearly complete.

Dolly and I began preparing a taco salad for the party around 4. In the meantime, I received an e-mail from Maria Morrison at Ningwakwe Learning Press. She said that she plans to put out a 2008 calendar and is interested in using my photos for the calendar and wanted to know how much I would charge for the use of each image. Needless to say, seeing such an e-mail and proposal made my day. I e-mailed Maria back giving her the specifics of what I have and told her I'll send some sample photos to her within the next week.

We originally thought that Brannon's party was at Gail's, but it ended up being out at the cabin. There was plenty of food there; in addition to our taco salad, there were hot dogs and hamburgers, macaroni salad, shepherd's pie, spaghetti, and of course birthday cake. We all had a good time enjoying the coolness of the evening as we sat around the fire at the cabin, enjoyed the food, swam, and visited. Most of us finally left the cabin around 8 this evening. Dolly and I retired to her dad's house for a bit before we returned to her home to chill out before heading for bed. Once we returned to the house, Dolly worked on the computer some while I downloaded and looked at photos I shot today. I'm generally happy with the pictures I took today, and I imagine that among them are some good shots I can submit to Maria.

In the meantime, I plan to enjoy what I hope is a good night of sleep coming up, and I want to use my final day in Wiky (for a while anyway) tomorrow to the fullest. It's hard to believe that another leg of my odyssey is almost at an end. But I'm sure that there are plenty of legs remaining.

Powwow day 3

It's hard to believe, as I sit here in Dolly's living room and readying myself to watch The Doors that another Wiky powwow has come and gone. The community has buzzed with activity these past few days, and everything is mostly quiet now. Most of the people have left the area already, and the once filled Thunderbird Park is now empty. It's been quite a weekend both at and away from the powwow, and we have another powwow to look forward to next year. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to crashing and catching up on some rest.

My morning was pretty lazy today. I took my time getting out of bed, editing photos and updating Web sites, and then eating and showering. Sarah and Ashley came over for a while so Dolly could braid Ashley's hair. The two of them left and we met up at the powwow a couple of hours later. Dolly and I, with Jarvis in tow, arrived at the powwow grounds around 1:45 this afternoon. And we remained at the powwow until around 6. We would have left earlier if the winners of the raffle prizes had been announced earlier, but such an announcement wasn't made until the very end. Neither Dolly nor I won anything. But we did get some nice gifts during the giveaway.

Most of my time at the powwow today was spent watching the dancing, walking around, and visiting with people like Chin and Sarah. There was som action in the middle of the afternoon, however. The powwow's M.C. announced over the PA system that Gail needed to head to the first aid station ASAP. She did just that, and Dolly and Sarah followed not long after while I remained with our provisions under one of the shelters. Sarah soon returned and told me that Alec had been hurt while climbing on a fence; he had hit the fence in such a way that he cut his left hand and his right arm. He was in pain and crying when I saw him at the first aid tent, but he's all right now. The doctors put two stitches in his hand at the hospital in Little Current. And they put one stitch in his right arm. And when I saw him at Gail's house this evening, Alec's demeanor seemed normal. I'm really grateful that he's all right.

After the powwow, Dolly and I picked up MaryAg and took her to Dolly's house for a few minutes before we headed to Lisa's house for a cookout. Lisa, her friend Mandy, and Steven were already there, and a few others besides us arrived a few minutes later. We didn't stay at the party all that long, but we were there long enough to enjoy hot buffalo wings hamburgers, side ribs, and a few different kinds of salad. We would have stuck around longer, but we wanted to head back to Rabbit Island to check to see if Alec and company had returned yet.

As we drove through Rabbit Island, we saw that no one appeared to be home either at Gail's or at Dolly's dad's place, so we headed to the cabin to see if anyone were there. No one was there, so we decided to return to Dolly's. In the meantime, Gail and everyone else was just pulling in, so we sat and visited with them for a bit before returning to Dolly's house.

Today was a civic holiday, so not many businesses were open today. Among those businesses are my insurance company and the dealership that's working on my car. I'll give both a call first thing tomorrow morning to see what's happening with the car. It's not that I'm in a big hurry to get back to South Dakota, but I'd like this car business to be resolved sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy what remaining time I have in Wiky and make the best of all situations. It's been a busy few weeks, and now I have a few days to relax before heading home. I'd better take advantage of this downtime while I can.

Powwow, day 2

Today was the second day of this year's Wiky powwow and cultural festival. But it turned out that we didn't spend all that much time at the powwow after all. There were other activities in which we involved ourself for most of the day. And some of our plans worked out, and some didn't.

Our day got off to a late, leisurely start today. Both of us were up by about 10; Dolly actually got up around 7:30, but I didn't rise until close to 10. Dolly busied herself with various tasks around the house while I checked messages and updated various Web sites. Once I finished with that, Dolly fixed me a great breakfast of two bagels with strawberry cream cheese; I followed up the bagels with a bowl of Special K. My breakfast was larger than necessary, I'm sure, but it sure tasted good.

Dolly and I were ready to go by about 11:30; we stopped and got a couple of drinks at Andy's and then headed to the powwow grounds. The main lot was pretty well full, so we parked by the ballpark instead like I did last year. I found that I actually prefer parking behind the ballpark because the area isn't as congested. Once we got out of the car, we made the rounds with various vendors and I was able to drop off a few CDs of photos from yesterday's fashion show. And with each CD I dropped off, I included a business card so that everyone would have my contact information.

After making our rounds, we hung out and watched the powwow with the family for a few hours. And while we were watching the powwow, Ashley asked Dolly to braid her hair and put ribbons in it. Dolly occupied herself with that while I watched the powwow and visited with Sarah.

Around 3:30, a bunch of of left for Rabbit Island so we could attend a fish fry at the cabin. I had thought we were going to head directly to the cabin, but we hung out at Gail's house for a bit first before heading to the cabin. We arrived at the cabin around 4:30, but I didn't get to go swimming or have any food until after I came back from the powwow. I had to leave around 20 after 5 so I could head back to the powwow grounds and shoot photos of the second powwow fashion show.

Sally G. was the first person I met when I arrived back at the powwow ground. She saw that I had my camera draped around my neck, so she informed me that the fashion show had been cancelled; she didn't know why, but did know that the show had been cancelled. I visited with Sally G. for a few minutes and then sought out Bruno. I couldn't find Bruno or any of the Redskin folks like Jody, but I eventually heard that the show had been called off because the promoter didn't feel that there was enough time to get the models ready. I admit I felt a little bummed out when I learned the show was cancelled, but it was something of a relief, too. It meant less work for me. I picked up a cheeseburger at Big John's and walked around the perimeter of the arbor for a few minutes before jumping back in the car and heading back to the cabin.

The walleye and other foods were about ready around the time I arrived back at the cabin. There was enough time, however, for me to take a quick dip. I don't know how it happened, but getting in the water seemed to help me shake the allergy and sinus problems I've experienced over the past few days. The water was cold at first, but I adjusted to it fairly quickly. I was able to swim for a few minutes before rejoining the rest of the group at the cabin to enjoy our meal.

I didn't eat all that much, but the food was certainly good. In fact, I think today is the first time I've ever had walleye. Dolly's relative Maey's husband, Pete, was the one who caught, filleted, and prepared the fish. And it was really, really good. I'm hoping I'll have opportunities to eat walleye again in the future.

Once I finished eating, i went back into the water to play with Alec and others in the water. Our play largely consisted of tossing a giant Frisbee around. It was good to play around for a bit, but it was once again time then to return to shore. Once I was back on shore, I shot photos of various member of the family as well as the sunset. It was a wonderful afternoon at the cabin, and I can't wait to make it back to the cabin again.

We headed back to Gail's for a couple of hours once we finished at the cabin. Pete had built a bonfire in back of the house, and a bunch of us sat around and swapped stories for a while the warmth of the fire chased away the chill of the island night. Around 11:50 this evening, Aaron and a few other people started shooting off fireworks. It was the first fireworks display I've seen since the 4th of July, and it was nice to see how the colors lit up the night. Dolly and I were plenty tired by the end of the show, however, and made our way back to her house. We're going to crash here in a few minutes.

It's hard to believe the powwow is already about 2/3 over, and it will only go until about 5 or 6 tomorrow evening. The big event for the summer is almost over, and it's hard to believe that the time has almost come. And it's hard for me to believe that it's almost time for me to head home again. i'm not going to think about going home too much yet, though. I want to enjoy the remaining days as much as I can.

Powwow, day 1

My, my, what a full day. It's definitely been a day loaded to the gills with activity. And it's been a very fun day as well. It was a hot day and cool at times under the canopy over the stage, but at least it wasn't windy like it was last night. A lack of wind made working at registration a lot easier than it was last night.

Speaking of registration, that was my first task of the day. After buying some breakfast from our friend Karen's daughters and taking it to the powwow ground, Dolly, Sarah, Tara, others, and myself registered dancers and singers for about 3 hours, starting around 9 a.m. We were busy at various times through the morning, especially during the last hour or so. But it didn't seem like we were as busy as we were last year. Some in our group commented that there aren't as many dancers this year as there were last year. And there are only eight drums this year. Though numbers may be down somewhat, there are still plenty of people around.

Once registration was done, Dolly and I made a quick trip back to her house. The chief reason we went back to her place as so I could take some allergy medicine. I began to feel stuffed up during the registration process, and I attribute my feeling that way to the environmental factors like smoke and dust. The powwow grounds especially seem a lot dustier this year than they were last year. Dolly postulated that the dustiness was due to a lack of moisture and lots of sand being kicked up by kids at the ballfield near the powwow grounds. I don't know if the medication helped me much today, but I was able to make it through the day fairly comfortably. But the feeling of stuffiness persisted.

Before heading back to Dolly's to download powwow pictures and rest for a bit around 4:30, Dolly and I spent the following few hours after grand entry hanging out with friends and family and checking our various vendor booths. There are several booths we haven't visited yet, and I imagine that we'll check out those booths tomorrow. At the booths we visited today, Dolly bought me a wolf-paw necklace, and I bought two Native Pride hats that I've had my eye on since the Whitefish Lake powwow last weekend.

I didn't spend all that much time resting at Dolly's, but it was nice to lie down for even a few minutes. I would have rested longer, but I had a job to do. A few days ago, I agreed to help my friend Bruno shoot photos during this evening's fashion show. As he asked, I arrived at the stage around a quarter to 6. And I then visited with some of the models, the person who was running the show, and Bruno himself. Charmain, the woman running the show, introduced herself to me and asked me to shoot photos with her camera as well. At first I was daunted at the prospect of shooting photos with two cameras. But once the show was underway, I found that shooting with two cameras wasn't all that hard.

The fashion show was a lot of fun for me, and I was really, really focused on the task at hand. It was a bit of a challenge to juggle both of the cameras hung from my neck, but I soon got the hang of doing such a thing. Since she was running the show, I shot photos first with Charmain's camera and then took pictures with my own camera. Once the show was over and everything started to die down, I told Charmain and Bruno that I would burn CDs of the photos I shot with my camera and give them to both of them. Given how busy and tired I'll likely be later tonight, I thnk I'll burn the CDs in the morning.

Another person for whom I'll have to burn a CD of photos is a man named Jody from the new Redskin magazine. Jody was at the fashion show shooting photos as well. And just before the show ended, Jody gave me his card and invited me to visit with him at the Redskin booth. After visiting with Dolly for a bit, I did just that. During our visit, we talked about swapping photos, about our histories and educations, and about our experiences as photographers. We had only about 20 minutes or so to visit before Jody had to run off to shoot the models again, but before he left we talked about meeting and visiting again at the powwow tomorrow. I told him I would also have a CD of photos ready for him then.

In spite of feeling tired from my sharp focus during the fashion show and the sweaty heat of the day, I was charged up for a while by the time I returned to where Dolly and other family were sitting. We all visited for several minutes before Dolly went out and danced a couple of intertribal dances with other powwow attendees. Our visiting continued until a little after 9, which is when Dolly and I returned to her house for a bit so she could change into some different clothes.

Once she was changed into clothing that would better enable her to fend off the chill of the night, Dolly and I headed for Rabbit Island. We had thought that we would stop at Gail's house to visit with some relatives from out of town, but we discovered that no one was home. Sarah and Aaron were home, however, so we visited with them until about 10:30. We got home from their place a little while ago, and now it's time to crash.

It'll be nice to be able to sleep in in the morning, and I don't think that tomorrow will be quite as busy as today was. It'll be a fun day, though, to be sure. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to passing off into sleep. Tomorrow's another day.

Weekend work begins

Dolly and I just got back to her place from the Wiky powwow grounds. The powwow doesn't start until tomorrow afternoon, but Wiky is already buzzing with activity. Dancers and singers are already registering for competition, and even more people will register tomorrow. That's where Dolly, others, and I come in. We helped out with registration this evening, and we'll handle that in the morning as well. It sounds as though we need to get to the powwow grounds around 8:30 tomorrow morning; registration will probably run until around noon.

Apart from helping with registration, I'm going to do some videography for Wiky TV5 for a few hours and then help my friend Bruno shoot photos for a fashion show. Once that's one, there's a good chance I may go to a buck and doe auction at the Arena and shoot photos of that as well. It's certainly going to be a full day tomorrow, even more full than the past few days have been.

I did more today than help out at the powwow grounds. As I did yesterday, I started my day mid-morning by making contact both with my insurance company and the dealer that's working on my car. The insurance company told me that it has received repair estimates from the dealer but hasn't approved them yet. I learned that Gord, the person at the dealership with whom I've dealt, wasn't at work today, so I dealt with a different parts person. The parts person explained to me that parts were on order, but was unsure when the parts would arrive. He said that some may have arrived this afternoon while others may have arrived on Tuesday. That said, it's unknown whether I'll be able to head for home on Wednesday. It will be all right if I end up spending a few extra days in Wiky next week. But I hope that this car situation is resolved sooner rather than later.

After finishing with my phone calls for the day, I worked on the Sports Car Club of Siouxland Web site and my own Web site while Dolly and Matt toiled away in cleaning the house. There will likely be lots of company at the house this weekend, and we all want the house to look its best. Around 3, we headed to cabin to hang out and swim. Actually, I hung out and swim while Dolly continued to work. She and her dad painted parts of the exterior of the cabin.

I didn't spend all that much time in the water today, mainly because of the wind. Even though the day was fairly warm, the wind was cool and chilled me to the bone. And the wind was so strong that it threw up big waves in the North Channel and caused white caps to form. The force of the water made swimming smoothly difficult, and I found myself dealing with motion sickness as I rested on the floating dock not far from shore.

Dolly and I visited Gail's house for a few minutes before we returned to Dolly's house. Once we returned to Dolly's house, we mostly continued our cleaning and hung out. And that's what Dolly and I are doing now: hanging out before bed.

It's starting to get late, but not as late as it's been when I've gone to bed in the past few nights. I want to go to bed early tonight so that I can get plenty of sleep and be full of energy tomorrow. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a really busy day, and I wanted to be fully ready for it. And amidst all the busyness, I'm sure I'll find plenty of fun.

$3,200???

Yesterday in Sudbury, I asked a service advisor at Mid-City Mazda, "What's the damage?" He didn't have an answer for me yesterday, but he did today: $3,200. That's what it will cost to replace the radiator, some kind of radiator frame, and A/C compressor in my 3. That figure is certainly shocking, but I'm relieved that my insurance company will pay for all of that but my deductible. At least I hope the company will. It's likely that the insurance company will pay for everything. But I learned today that if the insurance company deems the labor cost "excessive," the company will pay it feels is reasonable and I'll be responsible for the rest. Everything will turn out all right, I'm sure, but there's always a chance that I may get stuck with a pretty big bill.

I dealt with the dealership and the insurance company on the phone at various times today. When I wasn't on the phone, though, I had little trouble enjoying the activities of the day. Dolly and I, after having some breakfast at her house, first made a quick run to LIttle Current to do some more grocery shopping. Most of what Dolly wanted to buy was meat for the fine enchilada and taco dinner she prepared for us tonight and for barbecuing at the cabin. After we finished at the Valu-mart in Little Current, we spent some time downtown along the boardwalk. Dolly bought a few things for herself and then treated me to a new pair of flip-flops. I've very happy with my new footwear; I'm sure that it will perform better than my existing flip-flops.

We returned to Wiky, left groceries at the house, and then headed out to the cabin. Dolly's cousin Steven was there again, as were Jason and Dan. Alec was already there swimming, too. He told us earlier this evening that Gail had dropped him off at the cabin this morning. Dolly and I hung out, visited, and swam for a couple of hours before we headed back to her place to enjoy our Mexican dinner. It felt good to be in the cool water on such a hot day, and all of us had fun tossing the Frisbee around.

It took little more than a half-hour to fix our food, and it was delicious. And I enjoyed the company of Dolly, Ross, Alec, and a few others in the house as much as I did the food. I didn't mean to eat as much as I did, but I was able to down three enchiladas and a couple of tacos before I had to stop. Dolly took what food was left to Jason and Dan at the cabin.

Dolly and I didn't spend that much time at the cabin this evening, but we were there long enough to visit with Steven, Jason, and Dan. And Dolly and I, guided by Alec, took a short canoe ride around the cove. It was my job to paddle, and I was pleased with how well I handled the canoe. Tonight was only the second time I've taken a canoe trip anywhere. The last time was at Lake Oakwood a couple of years ago.

We drove around the community a bit and visited with our friend Bruno for a few minutes before we returned to Dolly's house. Bruno asked me if I'm still planning to shoot photos for him during his fashion show on Saturday night and confirmed that I would. I'm going to have a lot of volunteer tasks like that to do on Saturday, and I'm really looking forward to it. Those volunteer jobs will probably me with opportunities to use some of the skills I've developed in school and in the working world, and they will offer me opportunities to know people in the community better and make new friends.

Once we finished at Bruno's, we came back to Dolly's house, where I am now. Dolly's at the Arena playing bingo this evening, and I have to go pick her up in about a half hour. In the meantime, I'm updating my new Facebook page and am trying to stay cool with help only from a small fan. I'm sitting here sweating right now, but it's not unbearably hot. It sounds like tomorrow's going to be another hot one.

Speaking of tomorrow, I'm sure I'll spend a good chunk of time on the phone with the insurance company and with the dealership. But I'll do so knowing that I'm working toward a solution. It's even possible that the car may be finished by sometime tomorrow if the parts come in tomorrow morning. Payment may be a different issue, but I'll get everything sorted out in short order, I'm sure. Other than that, I'm going to rest and relax and gear up for the big powwow this weekend. It's going to be a busy weekend, but it's also going to be a very fun weekend. And it's going to be my second Wiky powwow in two years.

Almost overheated

I'm glad that the day is finally over; it's been a pretty trying day, and it's a day that I'm looking forward to putting behind me. It really wasn't a bad day today, but a lot has happened in the past 12 hours or so. The vast majority of it pertained to my car. The car will get fixed, but it will take some time.

After enjoying a fine breakfast of Special K cereal and toast, Dolly and I, along with Ross and his buddy Mitch, headed for Sudbury. We first stopped at Manitowaning to visit the Bank of Montreal there to get some money, but it was closed. So we set our sights on the BMO in Little Current instead. Dolly and I were able to get our banking done there.

Our drive to Sudbury was uneventful until we found ourselves in thick traffic on the way to Silver City, were we planned to drop off Ross and Mitch so they could watch a couple of movies. I looked down at the 3's water temperature gauge and found that it was hovering dangerously close to the "High" mark. There was little I could think of at that time apart from keeping the car from overheating. Fortunately, the temp gauge returned to normal within a few miles, and we were able to get Ross and Mitch safely to the theater. In the Silver City parking lot, I called my insurance agent and found out what I needed to do to get the car fixed. Dolly and I then limped the car to Mid-City Mazda where we began working with a service advisor there.

The technician took a look at the car and showed me that the raccoon's impact the other night had bent the radiator so far back that it had impacted with the cooling fan. And that impact has prevented the cooling fan from working, causing the car to overheat. So it sounds as though my radiator, A/C compressor, and cooling fan will need to be replaced. With any luck, the parts can be ordered quickly and I may be able to get the car back by Friday. Otherwise, the car may not be available again until Tuesday. In the meantime, Dolly and I have been cruising around in a Nissan Sentra I rented from a nearby Enterprise establishment. The rental is $30 per day, which is less than I would have expected. But if the 3 isn't ready until Tuesday, my rental cost will be $210 plus fuel. That's on top of the $500 deductible I'll have to pay on the repair of my car. And that's another thing: I won't know the cost of mechanically repairing my car until the morning. There's little I can do but wait in the meantime.

Apart from all the business with the car, the day was pretty good. Ross and Mitch were able to see the movies they wanted to see, and Dolly, Angel, and Sharlene were able to do a few things they wanted in town like get their hair cut. And Dolly was able to do some grocery shopping in Espanola as well. As for myself, I'm doing all right, but am still not feeling the best considering all the business with the car coupled with feeling so dead tired today. Things will be better tomorrow, I'm sure. In the meantime, I need to focus on keeping a positive attitude and focusing on the here and not worry about things I can't control. Everything will work out given time. And I need to give everything that time.