The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly .. or My Trip to Saskatchewan

One cannot have an adventure without  .... well, adventure, and that always includes good stuff, bad stuff, and ugly stuff. My trip was like that. There is too much to much to tell in one post so I will start with the 'good', and there was lots of that.
I alluded to my mode of transportation in some of my previous posts so I will explain how I came about driving a Corvette to Saskatchewan, for starters.
About a month before the trip, busylizzy announced that she would not be coming with me, due to various reasons. That left us with a transportation dilemma. I could not leave her stranded without her car and my work truck was being used daily by my partner in crime so I needed wheels. I considered renting wheels and then considered renting something exotic, a chance of a lifetime, so to speak. I made some inquiries and was blown away by the cost, even though I knew it would not be cheap. I then got a brain wave and gave it a try. A friend of mine owns a Corvette and perhaps he would rent it to me. I tentatively asked him, never dreaming he would even consider it. He told me he would not rent it to me but he would give it to me. I was dumbfounded. A week later I asked him again and his answer was the same. Surely he would want something, but he assured me that if the tank was full of gas when I returned, and I paid for the next oil change, I could have it. When he confirmed it a third time a week before my trip, I got so excited I could hardly sleep at night. 

I picked it up on the Tuesday before I left and drove it a bit to familiarize myself with the bells and whistles and the unique experience of driving a high performance sports car. I took to it instantly and there was no turning back. Here I am on Wednesday night before the trip, still in the Fraser Valley. Driving this car was truly a thrill of a lifetime for me because I have always greatly admired the Corvette and have always wanted to own one, but knew that I was too practical a person to ever own one. I have now experienced the thrill and I will never forget it. I will write much more about my amazing driving experience with this beauty in later posts. For now, let us say it belongs in the 'good'  of my trilogy post.

The whole purpose of the trip was the cousin gathering on my mother's side of the family, her maiden name being Boldt. It was planned and organised by my Aunt Kathy Boldt and her sons Garry and Bruce. It was hosted by them on the original Boldt farm, the farm I went to as a kid for many an extended summer vacation during the years 1956 to 1964. About 40 people showed up on Friday night for registration and the opening BBQ and 'get aquainted' evening. Some of these fine folks were children of cousins and various spouses etc. but not all cousins were there. There are 28 of us cousins in the family altogether and had all been there, it would have been a much larger gathering. There were many introductions and plenty of good conversation and funny stories revolving around the memories each of us had. 

This is a random photo of people's backs as they were too intent on lining up at the outdoor buffet tables to face the camera.

The next few days were a feast of memories, laughter, and bonding. I discovered that these are good people, just as I had remembered them from my childhood. More on some of our activities in later posts. This is just an overview for now and tomorrow I write about some of the 'bad' experiences during my trip to Saskatchewan.