Wednesday - June 20

I always believed that Florida had a changing climate, but after a few days in the mid-West, I think they must take the prize. Yesterday, Tuesday (19th), driving in from Minot, ND, there were lots of puffy clouds (picture perfect had we taken the time to photo), but the wind kicked in again and it was a tough drive. Today (Wednesday, the 20th), there is a gentle breeze and not a cloud to be seen. Temps in the low 70’s – beautiful.

We got our first surprise of the day when we drove into downtown Moose Jaw. Thought we’d grab some coffee at a local emporium, take in “the tunnels of Moose Jaw,” and see if there was an Internet Café where we might get Internet access later. We quickly found that every street in the downtown had parking meters. Unfortunately, we had zero Canadian currency!

No problem, we thought, just find a bank and change some of our USA currency with enough change to feed the meters. Couldn’t find a bank open, and the “tunnels” office was closed as well even though the signs on the doors said they opened at 10:00 a.m., nothing was open. Neither were any of the local stores. Finally I asked someone what time it was. Turns out we had crossed into Mountain time zone – never did see a sign – so we were an hour early for everything. Felt like a twilight zone where the town was there, but no people, everyone having been spirited away by some unknown force!

So we did the only thing left, after getting coffee, we went to the local supermarket (a Safeway), bought milk and two potatoes, and came back to the motor-home where we did chores! We will try again this evening when the reportedly superb Chinese restaurant will be open (it was closed last night when we tried).

I didn’t think I’d really need Canadian currency since almost everything can be charged these days, but I was wrong. We couldn’t find anywhere to park in town that didn’t have a meter – and we still had no change. We tried going to the bank; they were closed in the a.m. because of our “timing” and in the evening at 4:00 before we could get back into town. We “solved” the problem of conversion by visiting the local casino – they were happy to get our USA Dollars so we could play their slots. Boy, did we fool them, we ended up doubling our “investment” in just a few minutes. It paid for dinner!

And speaking of dinner, the Chinese restaurant recommended so highly by the Visitor Center at the border in Portal, Saskatchewan, was terrific. We had fried dumplings, Singapore noodles, and a new dish called Asham Curry Shrimp Hot Pot. Since we were eating early in the evening (5:30 p.m.), there was no one else in the restaurant so the owner and his wife talked with us while we ate. They were surprised at our mode of travel and the length of time we would be gone from “home”. They plan to retire in 10 years and are going to think about RV-ing as a possibility.

The wife was the one that filled us in on the long, cold winters in Moose Jaw. She had moved here from New York City and thought she was used to the cold, but nothing like this. But she’s been here for 11 years and has no plan to leave (until retirement).

Today’s photo is one of the many wall paintings found throughout town. This one was close to the casino. We have found several references to a Scottish heritage throughout the area – including the painting of the Scottish pipe and drum (?) parade. It is a mixed area though. While in a coffee shop this p.m., there was a group at the next table speaking in what sounded like a Scandanavian language (I don’t claim to recognize the various tongues of the Scandanavian region but it sounded like Norwegian.)

M. Life goes on around us. Wayne has a new cousin, Zachary Connor, and we lost an old friend, Mike, to heart disease. We will miss our friend as we celebrate new life.