On the Road (sort of) Again 2014 # 7

I am home. I must be getting old. I was only gone for three weeks but it felt like months. I can't believe how tired I was and how much I just wanted to lay in my own bed. I could have spent another few days in Sudbury but I was just too tired. As far as I can determine there was no real reason for this exhaustion. With the exception of some minor glitches on the train in terms of arrival time, and the first of the three planes on my trip east taking off an hour late, it was a surprisingly easy trip. I was never uncomfortable (or at least I was as comfortable as one can be sitting in a plane), getting sufficient food was never a problem and I had great books to read and nice music to listen to. My grandchildren at either end of the trip were a joy to spend time with, my kids treated me well and the weather was no worse than expected. I should not have been as tired as I was. It must be old age, although getting off the plane in Sudbury after 12 hours of travel and going to watch my grandson play a couple of volleyball games probably contributed a little bit to my exhaustion.

It was an interesting experience in terms of the weather. In Sudbury, on Christmas Eve it was raining. While my grandson did mention it, tobogganing down the hill at the playground was never really an option. I walked around Sudbury wearing running shoes! The weather on both Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island was generally grey, foggy, and damp. I think I saw blue skies only twice in my 14 days there. It was also, at least for the first few days, surprisingly cool. However but by the time I left, it was 7 degrees Celsius. My body was somewhat shocked by the fact that it was -20 or colder when I arrived back in Sudbury. Perhaps the human body is not made to go through such adjustments in temperature so quickly and that is what tired out my body.

Tiredness aside it was a great trip. It is only my third winter trip out west. In previous years I have flown out there and come back within a seven day period. There never seemed to be enough time either in Sudbury or in Duncan to get into the groove of being there. This time I had three or four days in Sudbury before I took the train out, a relaxing ride out there and fourteen days to enjoy the west coast. It felt as if I got lots of time to relax and to spend time with all of my grandkids and even my great-grandson.

I am a lucky man and I daily give thanks.

Now my task (other than dealing with some teeth issues) is to get into the spinning and weaving groove as well as making sure I devote part of my week to writing. That will take some discipline. Not sure if I have it. On my fridge I have a long list of things I need to/want to make this winter. It is an ambitious list but if I want to have lots to sell this spring and next fall, I will need to get on with it.