Another day.
Another tear.
OK...many, many tears.
First of all Tom and I thank each and every one of you who have commented or sent us an e-mail or text sending your love and hope that our Doyle will return to us. We stayed an extra night in KOA West Winnipeg- actually St. Frances Xavier about 9km west of The Peg. We had hoped that our Doyley-Boy would get hungry and return but this has not been the case. He was seen Friday night hanging with some other cats along the Assiniboine River. As far as I can tell these cats are feral.
I don't know how Doyle is eating or surviving not being an outdoor puddy. Our hearts were heavy when we had to leave him behind Saturday morning. You have no idea what it was like...
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Doyle sitting up front with Tom on the day of the evening he left
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The good news: Many folks staying in the park have our contact information and the Groundskeeper- Kevin, has a kennel, food, water and litter at the ready. He is actively looking and says to us as we left the park- NOT IF but WHEN Doyle returns he will call us right away. Hugs to Kevin. Others at the KOA have been just as kind.
Tonight, we sit at an RV park in Regina. A beautiful, busy Prairie city with mega road construction. The park is King's Acres. It's nice with- what else, a wheat field a hop, skip and a jump or so from Priscilla. The air is sweet and clean. Friends Don and Linda came by this evening to spend some time with us. It was good to see them and they lifted our sullen spirits.
Almost the first thing Don and Linda said to us was this:
"When Doyle is found, we will drive to Winnipeg from Regina to bring him to our place in Regina. Then we can figure out how to get him to you."
Can you believe this? I had to bite my lip real hard to not break down and sob. This is what friends do for each other. I know friends back in Orillia would do the same thing and believe me many have e-mailed wishing they could help in the search.
~another "tear" falls here~
So, we sit tight and hope for the best- tomorrow, next week or the week after. I cannot imagine Doyle being feral and eating goodness knows what. This cat is a house cat and likes things just so.
Then why did he run?
We have no bloody idea. Wish we did. He is so loved that boy.
We will ask the little bugger when we see him...after 1000 kisses first, of course.
Today we drove from Winterpeg to Regina. A hot, sunny Prairie Day feeling in the 30's but no humidity- just heat. Prairie heat and Prairie wind.
Cripes, the wind that blew poor Priscilla all over the place.
Of course, the speed limit is 110 km here in Saskatchewan- same in Manitoba, that's because the Trans Canada is divided with eastbound lanes over there, somewhere to our right. Poor Priscilla could hardly keep the cabin cool today. Driving into a western sun- wow!!
So far, the countryside is easier on the eyes than Northern Ontario's rocks and lakes and trees and...well, read a blog or two back and you'll get the idea.
Manitoba was different too with hardly any evergreens and a lot of leafy green trees.
Then, driving into Saskatchewan there's mostly flatness. You know like the notes in the twang in the song sung by an "old" country singer like- "When Gawd made you, he made a humdinger that only me and my hound dog can love."
One sees many wheat fields.
Lots and lots of wheat fields and some small stands of trees.
In some fields, Cows are dragging their bulky bodies in the midday heat towards a small yet shady tree.
In another, a few magnificent horses graze gently without a care in the world. Nothing like horses in a field next to a busy highway. Makes you wanna slow down and smell the roses or at the very least smell a horse pucky or two and maybe even pick the horse pucky up and fling it in Patrick Brown's direction or that "woman" who is temporarily leading the Ontario NDP into oblivion! ( I added this for the enjoyment of Ontarians reading this Blog. "Go Kathleen").
Closer to Regina we started seeing those old Prairie grain elevators. You've see them in the movies hundreds of times. Here's the movie scene outline:
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Country Boy, An obligatory skin shot
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~There's this robust, blonde football stud- looks like that fellah in the plaid shirt in Letterkenny, with an ass in tight jeans that just won't quit. He's sucking the face off his cheerleader girlfriend in the back of his Dad's red Ford F-150 out behind the grain elevator on a warmish summer evening in Backside, Saskatchewan. (I really wanted to type "bumhole" Saskatchewan there but it might have been too much!)
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Grain Elevator in Sintaluta. Interesting name "Sin-Taluta"
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Now, if I were writing this story he's be sucking the face off a young, solidly-built member of the local wrestling team- who just happened to resemble Hugh Jackman. It would be a hot, sultry July night- not behind but inside the grain elevator.~
Ah...youth and the good old days!!
Back to reality though, you may have seen these elevators on TV with a Town's name emblazoned on the front facing the Trans Canada- like Indian Head, Saskatchewan. You just know there's a story that could be a movie or a Netflix series in the small town just down the road from the grain elevator.
Now, about Ford, or Dodge Ram or Chevy trucks, Hell, everyone is driving a pickup here in Saskatchewan- even Grandmothers. These are not the same Grannies however, that would show you the middle finger while driving in Winterpeg without giving it a second thought. One more thing about Manitoba before I switch back to Saskatchewan, you'll find the towns of both Sidney and Melbourne just off the TC #1.
Who knew?
We noticed too that Gas stations are at a more reasonable distance apart and at a more reasonable price in Saskatchewan and Manitoba than anywhere past Sudbury to the Manitoba border in good old Ontario. Makes you think eh?
Especially about the lack of gas stations- and the price of gas.
I liked the drive- so far at least, through the Province of Saskatchewan after starting the day in Whiny-Pig and heading westward to Regina- The Queen City.
So, far I have not seen one queen- Elizabeth, Drag or otherwise.
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Regina Here We Come
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I did notice one final thing though.
Remember all those old movies about Rome and the mean old Caesar who had a habit of ordering his soldiers- like Richard Burton, to nail up thieves, Christians and general "pain in the ass citizens" on crosses along the road into town just to set an example to the citizenry?
Well now, all along the Trans Canada you'll find telephone pole after telephone pole- some short, some tall but all in the shape of a cross, lining the railway tracks and the eastbound lanes of the highway.
After looking at hundreds of these poles I thought they resembled what the Main Street into Rome might have looked like- minus the decaying Roman Citizens and Christians hanging on them in the hot Roman sun- back in the day.
Good times eh?
The trip I mean.
