What I did over my summer vacation, I mean this weekend

I'm back! The trip was very fun, and I'm sad that we couldn't have stayed longer. As it is, though, I got to see the city, meet new friends, go sledding and geocaching, get lost, get unlost, eat at a fun health-food restaurant, and nearly freeze to death taking pictures at the border in what must have been minus 40 weather and wind (oh, how windy it was!).

We also spent about 45 minutes in a cool indoor market that reminded me of the farmer's market in LA, then out to run around a few hundred yards east of there where people were playing hockey on the river, and there was an ice skating path on the pedestrian bridge that went over the lake. We didn't have any skates, but we had fun sliding around on the slick ice, and scurrying out of the way when we saw somebody skating towards us at high velocity.

We mostly hung out with a cute semi-newly married couple, who live in a cute brown house in the cute French area of town, right near downtown, convenient to everything. They enjoyed going caching with us, and the husband and the guy we came with had fun racing each other through the park to where they thought the cache was, then back through the park to the car, making their way through knee-high snow, leaping down into the streambed and climbing back up the other side. Us ladies took it a little slower :).

It seemed like everywhere we drove in the city, there were these huge snow sculptures that people had made; not like snowmen, but like things that could easily have been permanent granite statues and works of public art. I believe there's a bunch in the downtown here in Parts Unknown, and since I have the week off, probably I'll go and take a look at them today or tomorrow.

It was a great weekend, kind of a whirlwind trip. For awhile I considered staying for a day or two in Parts Moreknown, where I dropped off my travelling companions, before heading back home, but by the time we got there, I was ready to sleep in my own bed, bathe in my own shower, and eat more normal, non-trip food. I made my way home therefore, and the trip seemed to go by really quickly, even though it was a 2 1/2 hour drive. I played music and sang along really loud, and stuffed fig newtons down my throat to keep myself awake. The fig newtons and singing seemed to work very well, as I didn't really feel tired until I got out of my car and started the long trek from the parking lot to my apartment.

I now have had my share of fun and adventure for this week, and can spend the next 7 days doing homework and getting prepared for the rest of the semester. Hooray! I guess a fast and short trip was the best thing all around, giving me time to have fun and time to do work.