We set out around 7 am local time the next day. The days in mid December are so short, we drove such long hours, and travelling east we were losing an hour each day,-- this all added up to driving many hours in the dark. The weather... we drove through lotsa different weather. But nothing extreme. We took about 3 stops. We ate lunch at Tim's or Humpty's or Wendy's. Really, can't remember which was where. For variety, I cleaned out my files on the laptop, tried to learn how to knit a hat (didn't get very far), put vasoline on my hands and put my socks on my hands to fight the cracks on my knuckles that I acquired in Alberta. Which reminds me. What a difference in air and water quality we felt once we left Alberta! My hands almost healed during the 3 day ride and already in Manitoba I was able to take a bath without bubbles. The second day we started looking for a motel around 6 pm. We stopped just after Thunder Bay, at a place that cost $50. No cable, bathroom was crazy cold (we had to run hot water to warm up the room), and the bathtub was not the quality that encourages long, luxurious baths.

The following morning we again left around 7 am (we couldn't keep track of where the time zones were). We were already in Ontario, but this was the longest day. We hoped to arrive at around 10 pm, but there were slight delays. Like stopping at Walmart in ... Sault Ste. Marie (?). Had lunch at Husky's -scary! More driving, for hours and hours. In the dark, on very winding roads. Driving in the dark, with glimpses of our surroundings in our headlights. Every so often, from among the trees that lined the winding highway, we would see the Christmas light of a hidden house. Small bungalows, surrounded by trees, covered in snow. Dark outside, warm lights on inside. Sometimes we would catch a scene from inside the houses, people sitting in armchairs (I imagined them to be knitting in front of the fireplace), a decorated Christmas tree... We are voluntarily homeless, but that is the life we ultimately seek. I have to check back on these writings in 3 years. Will I have my little house in the forest, with a baby on my lap, sitting by the Christmas tree, after a big family dinner (I should know better than to expect a big family dinner. Dinner for 3 will suffice).

We arrived in Tottenham, Ontario after midnight. We were hoping to come into my parents' house by stealth, but the uphill driveway was icy, and the dogs were awake and barking... There was a bed waiting for us so... Goodnight.