My horoscope in the Globe & Mail -- even they knew I needed a break!
Greyhound style. I am most definitely becoming a Canadian.
Buffalo eating Alex's hair at a stop in Wainwright, Alberta.
Bus literature: the MD she had to marry (el medico de familia con el que se tuvo que casar) and Charlie all night. Amazing wonders of North American pulp fiction? I'll never find out.
Alex trying the camera at the little museum in Wainwright, Alberta (I)
Alex trying the camera at the little museum in Wainwright, Alberta (II)
Our Greyhound trip (Vancouver-Winnipeg) ended 36 hours later. This is our luggage for two weeks.
This is only funny if you speak Spanish. It means something like "not even Christ [comes to this] Church".
Paranoid signs in Birds Hill Provincial Park, Manitoba. This is where the Folk Festival takes place every year (and if anybody springs her ankle in one of the cracks, they surely can't sue the park!).
There are many beaches in Manitoba, although all of their shores are washed by fresh (lake) water. Not what I thought of the prairies, really.
First day at the Winnipeg Folk Festival (Thursday). We're set for a good one!!
The festival was incredibly family-friendly, and the audience was super diverse (including tons of children, older people, pregnant women, people in wheelchairs ...). Here we can see a young music-lover.
There was non-stop dancing regardless of the weather.
The second night we had a spectacular thunderstorm that lasted hours. We were by a tree, and all I could think about (never having been in a thunderstorm) was that we were going to be electrocuted. But we were fine!! (I was too scared to take pics though).
Every morning I would wake up eaten up by mosquito-repellent-resistant mosquitoes (total damage = 52 mosquito bites) and with the tent surrounded by crunchy ants.
It rained on Saturday. A lot. We didn't have shoes, or warm clothes ... We were freezing and soaking wet, but enjoyed the music so much we couldn't leave!!
The state of the festival grounds on Saturday.
And these were the guys who kept us dancing in the rain and made us forget about the cold: ladies and gentlemen, Sheesham and Lotus are incredible performers. Thanks!!
Another day under the rain in the tent. It was very cold!
In the shuttle to the festival site, every morning we would see the same bus driver.
But Sunday was a beautiful day...
... that we all enjoyed. This was the playground for the littlest people.
This one, full of large stacks of hey, was for the older ones, who seemed to have heaps of fun building different structures with it (a fortress, a trench, a castle, etc.).
Fionna's fountain at the Winnipeg folk festival.
We also got to see the Fugitives again!! They were wonderful, as usual.
Mark Berube at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
Glorious Sunday started with a Gospel concert. What else could we ask for?
We all had an overload of fun on Sunday. So much, I cannot even imagine having so much fun for four days in a row. Here we can see bubble-guy shooting at the musicians.
And with the beautiful weather came the beautiful birds ... 1...
2...
... and 3!!
The closest Alex has ever been to having a beer belly.
Sunday. Last concert at the day stages, and I don't want to leave. Never.
We're all thirsty before the last concert, little buggy-friend.
Waves in the audience during the Joan Armatrading on Sunday. We were in the third row :o)
Ray Davis (aka "Princess") kept us alive and dancing with some new and old hits. I wouldn't like to work for him, that's all I can say.
And then, we left under the sounds of a very well sung Amazing Grace ...
After the festival, we're staying at Matt and Sarah's, who are, for lack of a better word, incredible. They take us to places. Here we were in Gimli, Manitoba, at the shores of lake Winnipeg. This is not what I expected to find here, it feels like the sea without the salty smell! Ain't this the prairies?
Another picture at Gimli's harbour.
Guess what's wrong with this little thing. Hint: "THONK!!"
Taking a stroll at the (buggy) beach. 10 more mosquito bites for Luna.
And yes, there is sand. Manitoba is a surprising place.
View from Sarah's family's cabin.
The next day we go strawberry picking, and the weather seems to be against us once more. But after the fire baptism at the festival, a few drops ain't scary for us.
Alex, Matt and Sarah picking strawberries. The place was swarming with ... more mosquitoes.
We picked up 8 buckets!! (Sarah was still working on the last one when I took this pic).
The weeding effect, or an elegant solution to get rid of the weeds without using pesticides: geese. Apparently they like to eat weeds, but not strawberries, so every evening they weed the strawberry fields and no other toxic stuff is needed.
Now: this is what I have in mind when I think about a Manitoban landscape. Big, big skies ...
