A Fond Fairwell

Today I embarked on the next segment of my Northern Experience.  I'm not there yet but I'm my way.  I'm writing this in my hotel room in Edmonton. (You have no idea how excited I am to have high speed.)



Saying goodbye to the friends I've made in Cross Lake wasn't easy but it was a real treat to have some surprise visitors for my send off.  My dear friend Roseann, Cindy's mom and dad, Richard, and a couple other surprises too.

I had to snap one last picture of Nick (Cindy's Dad)...I just love his smile; it lights up a room.



I was happy to see that in the end I broke Richard down and made a hugger out of him (ok maybe just temporarily). That was a fabulous fairwell hug...good job Richard!

It was amazing that I kept it together so well, since as my friends in Ottawa say on a scale of one to ten on the "mushy" scale...I'm a twelve. I do confess to shedding a few tears once I was in the air though ... okay and again while writing this.

Raymond had stopped by in the morning to say goodbye too and mentioned that he would be out on the ice for a dog race. When we were taxiing onto the runway I could see some dog teams; it made me smile to think that Raymond was probably one of them calling "come back!" as the plane took off.  If you are able to zoom in on the picture you can see them on the ice by the trees.

Unlike my flight coming into Cross Lake, this one had only two passengers.  We had to sit at the back to balance it out. This shot of the interior is for my friends back in Ontario so they can see just how tiny the plane is. 



The shot out the window is of Norway House which is a stop along the way to Winnipeg.



...and one of the plane, once we landed in Winnipeg.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; if the people of Fort Smith are half as nice as the ones in Cross Lake, I will be very lucky.  There was not one person that I met while in Cross Lake that wasn't nice to me. I can't say that of any other place I've been. I will remember my time here forever.