By the time I get to Phoenix ...

... you won't be reading this letter ...

... because I'm not heading to Phoenix or Albuquerque or Oklahoma, but I am on my way to Nova Scotia. Right now. As you read this.

In fact at this very moment as you sit in your comfy chairs, we and our aching hips are probably nearing Montreal. From there, the plan is to continue on up the south/east shore of the St Lawrence River into New Brunswick. Just inside the New Brunswick border, we'll stop at Edmundston for the night. May heaven smile kindly on our arthritic hips during this, the longest haul of the trip to Yarmouth. (see Day 1 on the map below and click on the map if you'd prefer a larger view that you can actually see)



As you diligently study the map for the upcoming test, the astute amongst you will observe that we don't have very far to travel on Day 2. That will be a nice break; we can take our time and enjoy what my memory tells me is a nice, fairly scenic drive. Day 3 will be even gentler on us as we are going to hang around the Saint John area before taking the ferry across the Bay of Fundy to Digby on Day 4. That will be on Monday the 26th if you're counting (and even if you're not as it turns out). From Digby, we'll drive down to Yarmouth on the same day, and we'll bunk with friends for three nights.

I'm not sure what little sidetrips we'll make from Yarmouth, but we'll be there until Thursday according to our present but tentative plans. After that we'll have a few days at our disposal before heading back to resume babysitting on August the third.

I don't know whether I will blog: (a) not at all; (b) infrequently; or (c) regularly. Your guess is as good as mine because every holiday/vacation is different, and I have done all of the above. Whatever the eventuality, you will have to make do without my terribly witty and incisive comments on your blogs for awhile. Speaking of travelling, however, I now direct you to the picture below.



That's right: quarters in an old film case. What the heck does that have to do with travelling, AC? Well ... I filled that film case with quarters, ten years ago, for the western trip, which I've mentioned recently, because we were told that we would cost a quarter to shower at campgrounds, and since we didn't want to be caught short when we were desperately in need of ablutions, we took a bunch. Well, our advisors fooled us because we didn't require any coin at all to shower anywhere that we stayed. Just in case, however, we took them Down East with us the following year and out to Manitoba two years after that ... and brought them home after each trip.

Somehow however, half the quarters have since disappeared, which is mystifying because I swear that we brought them all home with us, and I certainly can't remember sneaking any when I desperately needed a smoke. Possibly because I don't smoke. What I do know is that said quarters have been to every Canadian province except Newfoundland and since I get the distinct vibe emanating from ye olde film container that they would really like to revisit New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, I plan to make sure that their wish be granted. Call me silly, call it sentimental, or call it nothing, but that's what I'm going to do — take my quarters on a long drive.

Be good while I'm gone. And that means YOU!

---

For those who want the rest of the lyrics to Glen Campbell's song that was plagiarized for the title of this post, this is what I found through googling.

By the time I get to Phoenix she'll be rising
She'll find the note I left hanging on her door
She'll laugh when she reads the part that says I'm leaving
Cause I've left that girl so many times before
By the time I make Albuquerque she'll be working
She'll prob'ly stop at lunch and give me a call
But she'll just hear that phone keep on ringing off the wall that's all
By the time I make Oklahoma she'll be sleeping she'll turn softly call my name out low
And she'll cry just to think I'd really leave her
Though time and time I've tried to tell her so she just didn't know I would really go

Oh what the heck, here's a clip.