Vacation time!

A three-week inquest, a major house renovation that took much longer than we had anticipated and left us begging around town for showers for several weeks, and a quick trip to Halifax for the Mass Casualty Commission hearings might have left the weaker of heart ready to retreat for the rest of the summer.

Not at our house. Months before any of the above activities were in our calendars, my partner and I had decided to take our 10-year-old grandson on a trip along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, and so we shall.

Who knew 10-year-olds were so busy? Unlike when I was 10 and the summer stretched out endlessly  and boringly in front of me, once baseball tournaments, summer day camps, time with other grandparents and the like were taken into account, our grandson had one week he could spare to come on this adventure with us.

Hotels and bed and breakfast stays were booked, tickets to a Cirque du Soleil performance, the Biodome, the Planetarium and a flying greenhouse were bought, and plans were made to do some whale watching, fossil and shell hunting, beachcombing and the like.

We bought our grandson his own set of binoculars, a flashlight and a waterproof, shockproof camera. We pulled together some arts and crafts supplies and games to occupy us in the evenings or in the event of a rainy day. We refreshed our sun screen and insect repellant supplies and made sure our first aid kit was fully stocked.

I’ve loaded up my tablet with books so I can read in the dark once our grandson has fallen asleep. If I am honest with myself, though, I suspect I will fall asleep not long after he does, exhausted by keeping up with the endless energy of a 10-year-old all day long; something I haven’t experienced for a long time.

Our grandson is not the most adventuresome eater; in fact, he’s downright picky so, despite our appreciation of the wonderful food to be found in Quebec, we’ll be looking for restaurants that feature pepperoni pizza and chicken fingers.

I’ve written here before about my dislike of camping, so now I must make a confession. On our second last night of this expedition, I will be sleeping in a tent. Mind you, it’s a tent on a platform that contains cots and bedding for each of us as well as a separate kitchen area, complete with a small fridge and basic cooking equipment. A fire pit is available in front of the tent, as are what look to be semi-comfortable chairs. There is even a small table with chairs where we can eat whatever we manage to cook over the open fire.

I’m most worried about the pee trips that are now a nightly routine for me. I may dehydrate myself just to avoid what I have convinced myself will be a long and risk-filled middle of the night trek to the closest facility, which is bound to be less than luxurious.

However, the campsite is located on a high bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence, and there are many activities for our grandson to enjoy. I’m sure I will survive, but not necessarily to camp again.

As I write this, before we depart on our trip, I already know that our expedition will give me the real break I need from my work. What could be better than a week in the company of the energy, curiosity and enthusiasm of a 10-year-old freed, like us, from his daily routines?

2 thoughts on “Vacation time!

  1. Have a great adventure filled week. As for camping: I used to love back country camp with my last dog. Ron never came as he thinks camping is a 5 star B&B in Vermont. Now that I’m older I tend to agree with him!

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