Quiet In The Front Seat

It's off to Drumheller today, off to the Royal Tyrell Museum, where the children will spend hours wandering amongst the bones and displays, where I will serve once again as a riding platform for Charlotte, where Orson will spend his afternoon roaring like a dinosaur. It's going to be quite the adventure, and we are ready for it.

Last night Lewis and I loaded my Power WheelChair into the back of the truck. We are taking it along so I am free of a pusher for the day, so that both Meaghan and Lewis are free to keep their eyes on free range children. Lewis had to learn how to drive the chair in order to get it downstairs. Then he had to learn how to load it into the truck bed; it's not a trivial task.

You have to drive the PWC up onto the ramp, then get off to maneuvre it up the rest of the ramp and into the truck. It must be at the correct angle to fit beneath the canopy, then you have to squat while maneuvring it the last couple of feet. All in all, it requires someone who is healthy enough to squat, strong enough to get up and down, and capable of judging the canopy height.

I'm heaving coffee now. It's early for me. Once I am done we will load the kids into the car and begin our adventure. Fortunately the kids are used to being loaded in and out of various vehicles. Unlike the other day where Orson cried "No train" during the C-Train trip to the zoo, he will be fine in the truck. It seems Orson has already developed a preference for private transit over public transit.

Charlotte will bring a book or some toys or her iPad. Likely she will bring them all, yet none of them will get used. The instant we leave the garage, Charlotte will begin to chatter, asking questions about everything she sees, everything she hears, everything which crosses her little mind. She will sing, make up songs, make up stories, ask us what this or that is. It will stop when we get out of the truck nearly 2 hours later.

Meaghan will sit in the back with the kids, patiently supervising. Perhaps she and Lewis will trade off at some point. Both of them are comfortable driving my truck, so if I get tired, they can easily take over. Since we have my PWC, I am unlike to wear out from the museum. Driving home, I might just let them take over regardless. I can always sleep, even in a truck with Orson burbling and Charlotte chattering and Meaghan managing. Lewis will be quiet. He is always quiet. Maybe he should drive. Quiet in the front seat, chatter in the back.