Hooper Family Canada Vacation Part 2

Monday may 30th: We got up nice and early (thanks to the sun), and headed out on our long journey to Cherry Grove Alberta Canada

We took the less driven highway. There was literally nothing there. Not really any towns and if there was a town there was no place to stop and eat or go to the bathroom. It was a vast wilderness of nothing. We drove that for hours and hours and hours. Libby did not sleep at all that day.

Libby didn’t make a peep except when her movie was over. I do think that she watched Mary Poppins, two times that day.

This sign made us laugh.   Marshalls quote "they aren't sure what else is at this rest area, Hence the question mark"

We stopped at the only place to eat on highway 36 and used their restrooms. Libby went into the stall and saw the women’s feet in the stall next to us. She said “oh no mom, it’s a monster” I quickly tried to explain that they were just someone’s feet and shoes. So she finished using the potty and we were leaving the stall at the same time the women next to us was. Libby looked at her and then turned to me and said” it’ not a monster it’s Grandma”. The 40 year old women walked out very quickly. I hope she wasn’t upset but I couldn’t stop laughing.

We picked a nice unoccupied area to eat in the restaurant. She ran around and played. Still not eating more than a couple of bites of my garlic toast.

 These are pictures of the vast nothingness that we drove.  no trees, people, farms animals.  But lots of little pump jacks.

Then we got back in our bug stained car and drove.

I wish that we had taken a picture of the colony of bugs that we destroyed on our front bumper and windshield. I hope that it was helpful to all those living in the area, anything we can do to help decrease the mosquito population we were glad to do.

The closer we got to cherry grove the more excited I got. I felt like a little kid again and saw the tree line in my memory and just wanted to be there. When we came around the bend in cherry grove and turned down Grandmas Street….It was calming to finally be there.

The house sits at the base of a nice hill. It’s quiet and was surrounded at one time with just empty fields. Now houses are there. It’s still quiet. It was the calming I had been looking for. I remember growing up having cousins all there to greet you. The smell of bread or hot buns baking. It was always a pleasant place to be. I knew going, that it would be lacking these things. But to my surprise I was greeted by all of them. Tiffany was there visiting grandma. She was the first face I saw, next was grandma and then the smell of hot baked bread. AHHHHHHHHH I love memories.

Time seems to change the things we remember. People grow up, get older and so do homes. Everything has to change life continues. Grandmas’ never changing home has had a nice well deserved “facelift” new floors, new walls, new paint, new appliances, and new closets. But the same love and feeling of home is still there.

We ate dinner with tiffany and grandma, Ron and Diane. We saw Tim and carol. It was nice to just have time to chat with everyone. We put Libby to bed at 8:00pm because I knew she needed it. The Sun up at grandmas didn’t set until 11pm and was up at 4am so 8 were pretty light. She cried a bit and I went in to talk to her. She said “mommy turn off the lights I can’t sleep”

The next day we got up and fixed breakfast and headed on a walk to the nearby park.

After park time we took Libby into town to see the boats. The 15 min drive made for a nice 10 min nap for Libby. The lake we saw is called “Cold Lake” it is aptly named Ron says because about the first 3-4 feet are ok in temp. But anything below that 4 feet mark gets to be pretty cold. We ate lunch at a pizza place and then did some grocery shopping. We made it home for Libby’s First Nap of the trip. She slept well from 1:10-4:45 when I woke her up. This gave grandma and I time to sit and relax together.

Rosa Lavern Stonehockers is an amazing women born 91 years ago (I think) she walk over 600 miles with a wagon as a child to where she lives now. She bore and raised 9 children. She was a hard working woman. She amazes me evey time I hear stories about her life. But like time has a habit of doing she is growing old and tired. She has been ill the past few weeks. She is a fighting woman. And has come a great way since she first became ill. Her communication is not well and she had a difficult time remember things and speaking. She gets frustrated and unhappy that she can’t speak. But she is still there and still fighting. I know that each day is a bit better.

So the time that I got to spend with her meant the world to me. When Libby woke up we sat next to grandma and read her a book colored her pictures and little just played next to her. I don’t know when the next time will be that I get to see my grandma. But the time I got to spend with her was well worth the hours or driving, screaming child, sleepless nights. I love you Grandma and Pray each day that your voice comes back.

Libby Picked dandelions for Grandma and Aunt Diane. It was fun to see her just roam in the yard like I did years ago. She would come in the house and say “where’s everybody” the best part was that we were all sitting right in front of her.

That night we put her to bed but didn’t realize that she didn’t go to sleep. She found a pen and paper on the desk and drew all over it she colored it completely and when there was nowhere else to draw she made dots all over her knees (she was in footie PJ, so they were nice and blue). She then colored her a mustache and drew on her blow up bed. When we got her up the next morning she said “look I made a mustache”.  The pen and paper were neatly placed where she had found them.

We tried to give her a shower for the first time. I think it must have sounded like WW3 by the screams coming from the bathroom.

We got up early the next morning to make the trip to Edmonton by lunch time. We got to say our “goodbyes” and “Love you’s”. That was the hardest part of my trip. I don’t know when I will see my grandma again. Having to say goodbye was heart wrenching. I cried all the way to Bonneville.

Trip Tally

Lethbridge to cherry grove- 8:00am- 4:45pm 8.75 hours

Cherry grove to Esso (Marshall only) 2 hour trip

Cherry grove to cold Lake- 15 min to the dock

Cherry grove to Edmonton- 9-12:45 - 3.75

12.75 hours ---marshall had 2 extra hours making his total 14.5 hours