Day 834 Road Trips

 Out of the archives, a photo of me and my sister dating back to 1967. As technology has improved, some great things have gone by the wayside, like dates on photographs. This photo, taken in August of '67 and has the date clearly marked in the corner, as all photos did. My mother would then write at the bottom or on the back where or what was happening. On this picture she wrote, on our way to Robichaud farm. My grandmother's maiden name was Robichaud and we would often visit her brothers farm in Canada. My parents would throw the four of us kids in the car and not think twice about driving ten hours! We would arrive at farm and be immediately overwhelmed with family. My Great Uncle Fred and his wife had 19 children, mostly grown by the time I came along, many of them were married with kids of their own so a family gathering wasn't a small affair. You might think 19 kids is a lot, but for farmers, it was a necessity. The boys were born to be farm hands and the girls would help with household chores and child care and no one seemed to mind their roles one bit. There were vast blueberry fields behind the farm house and if our visit was timed right we could spend hours picking blueberries and enjoying blueberry pancakes for breakfast...it took a great deal of blueberries to feed the large numbers! Non of my Canadian relatives could or would speak English and since my French was and still is minimal making communication  a struggle. I think they knew more English then they would let on, just to watch us struggle with our French. The farm was surrounded by dirt roads lined with miles of wooden fences, holding cows and livestock that would come greet us, with expectations of treats. The family gatherings at night were filled with singing, story telling and music. If my grandfather was ever in the mix, he would play the harmonica better than anyone, to this day, his talent astounds me. I haven't been back to Canada in years, life gets busy when you're raising kids, taxiing them back and fourth to sports, music lessons and trying to get through the day to day, then you blink and they're grown up!! Tim and I might have to plan a trip for the spring or fall, take the big drive and visit my crazy Canadians. My grandfather was from Nova Scotia so we could visit his old stomping grounds. I want to see the Bay of Fundy...maybe that will be my Birthday wish this year! I'll be turning sixty in April, big wishes are allowed for big Birthdays. I'd love for Tim to see Prince Edward Island, to this day, the most beautiful place on earth I've ever seen. Who knew an old photo from way back in '67 could inspire a road trip for 2025?? I might even see if any of my kids would want to join in on the adventure...could be fun.