I always joked that as uncool as their reputation is, mini-vans are some of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned – you can load them up like a truck (we literally hauled a fridge to our campsite in the van), the sliding doors are a lot safer in garages and parking lots (especially with kids doing the opening!) and even sitting up higher in traffic is better than most cars.
I also joked that they should probably just sell you one when you leave the maternity ward at the hospital because whether you accept it or not, you’re pretty much guaranteed to end up driving one eventually.
After years of me driving a 2006 Ford Fusion that I bought in February 2016 (proudly having the oldest vehicle in our staff parking lot including a part-time page who drives a much newer 2007 vehicle!) and Shea driving the 2013 Town and Country mini-van we upgraded to in June 2014 after selling our first Grand Caravan mini-van we got when Pace was born, we’ve had a few changes.
Shea had been looking for a newer vehicle and earlier this spring, bought a 2022 Honda Pilot.
Then, with Pace getting his license, I decided to sell the mini-van (selling it in a single day to a young family and, surprise, the wife didn’t want a mini-van but with their third kid having arrived a few months ago, relented).
This allows Pace to “inherit” my Ford Fusion and meant that I also got to look for a newer vehicle – deciding on a 2021 Hyundai Kona which I bought earlier this week.
After years of driving older vehicles, it’s quite a change to have two newer vehicles that have such amazing features as Apple Carplay! Lane Assist! Sun Roof! Multi-driving modes!
…and lots of amazing moments and memories:
* Great visit with Shea’s cousin and family who are back from New Zealand for a month
* About ten books on my “To Read During Camping” list. (One book, not even on my list, is all I get read – thought I do work through a 377 page thread on CalgaryPuck about the Panthers beating the Oilers for the Stanley Cup so that’s like a novella!)
* Wrestling show featuring former WWE superstar, D-Lo Brown (does this make me one degree of separation from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson since they were in a faction together years ago?)
* Lots of ice cream (and lots of long walks to offset that ice cream!)
* Day trip to Williston, USA – land of giant American flags everywhere (only a couple days after Trump assassination attempt but no noticeable discussion/vibe among people.)
* One day on the water kayaking/stand-up paddleboarding
* Pace getting his driver’s license in Weyburn!
* Weekend visit with a friend of Sasha’s including a day at the Weyburn Fair.
* Helping in-laws with the purchase of a condo in Regina including packing up their house, posting stuff on Marketplace and even attending their house inspection.
* Nice visit with my parents for my 51st birthday
…and much much more!
Blogging will be very limited for the next few weeks as I focus on the important things in life such as reading, walking the dog, barbecuing hot dogs and other such pursuits.
Whereas other specialists know one subject deeply, one of the single best things about (most) librarians in my view is that we tend to be people who have a shallow but wide knowledge about a massive range of topics – politics, technology, pop culture, science, religion – and that curiosity about the world and other people leads to greater empathy which makes our profession so amazing.
