Deer Lake's Worst Driver

On Friday, it was my turn for a fun afternoon. The grade 8s had their cultural program. We went to what is referred to as the sand pit. The kids pretty much played around the hills. We went back to the school and ate Indian Tacos again. My kids absolutely love them as they always arrange to eat them on our turn.. They were really, really good again. I actually prefer them to the traditional ones and I know Claire does too. Not much else has been new. The grade 9s came in on the weekend to make up some hours because of the Toronto trip and the different closures of the school. Most schools won't do this but Julia likes to make sure everything is alright when the ministry comes in. On Saturday Claire had 12 students from 1-5, while I had mine on Sunday. The students were pretty exhausted. For one girl who had to come in last weekend as well, it has been quite the stretch. This Thursday will be her 19 straight day of coming to school. She is also the 18 year-old committed to getting her credits this year. Remarkable. Anyways, time for a story. We had to drop off two girls in town on Saturday after Claire's lesson. All went well until the ride back to the school. Let me start off by restating how 'rezzed' out the vehicle is. Last weekend, the front left tire started making noises when we were driving. This happened to everyone else, but figured it was a small problem. Sort of like a scratch to a gunshot wound. So back to the drive to the school. We were on our way up the hill when I hit one of the thirty million potholes. All of a sudden the vehicle was getting pulled to the side again. My first reaction was, "Really?" "Really?" We squeaked to the top and pulled over. I figured we must have had a flat. I got out and looked at the wheel. Luckily it wasn't a flat. Unfortunately the entire wheel, rim, and pretty much everything connected to the wheel was about to come off. The wheel should have been straight, but was on a 45 degree angle. My luck. So similar to last the last time the second vehicle stopped and had two guys in their late 20s. Where else would a car like this stop to help? The driver gave me his cell phone and I phoned RJ at the school. He wondered if the car could be limped back to the school. At this point the two guys had gotten out and taken a closer look at the vehicle. The one started to rock it for fun or to make it worse, I wasn't quite sure. The shaking almost took the wheel off, so I figured, "No, it won't make it" was a safe bet. The guys gave us a ride back to the school, while RJ was going to get a bus driver to try and tow it back. On the way back to the school, at the intersection, was Steve standing by the road. He is one of the school janitors/maintenance men and father to a grade 8 student. He was there with his van and a large, large pot selling moose stew. Our driver stopped to buy some, so we got out and walked the rest of the way (5 minutes or so). I've heard of fruit stands, lemonade stands on the side of the road. But moose stew? This week is short as there is only four days and Thursday is apparently a different day. Good news as Claire is exhausted and still trying to get over a cold she has had for several weeks now. This Thursday, the school is putting on a Easter dinner for the students and parents. We are looking forward to seeing what it is like. Last bit of news, regarding our trip. West Jet will not be able to fly us to Toronto so Julia looked into a bus. She found out that it will save almost $30,000 from the overall total. This money will be spent on other areas. Julia advised Claire and I to look into the Delta Chelsea and try and book family suites and honeymoon suites as rooms. As well, our per diem has gone up from $40 to $80. Needless to say, no one is going to go hungry. Some of the boys on one of the hills.

Some of the girls.

Others.

About half the class on the top of the hill. At the end, all the students were playing king of the hill, boys against girls. Even through there are more boys and they are bigger, the girls actually held their own. One of the smaller girls pulled this karate move and flung a much larger boy by the shoulders.

Deer Lake's wreck yard.

A group of students were on this small piece of water, trying to throw big rocks on the ice to break it. The water was only a foot or so, but still, not the smartest move.