We really missed being able to go to Chelsea last year, and the weather had been trying to keep us away this year. A blizzard two weeks ago held us back, and little did we know that the weather gods weren’t done with us. Add to that, Jon got sick the night before we left, but we decided to risk breaking gravity anyway.

The main excuse to head up every year (aside from being Paul’s tech support 😛 ) is the amazing backyard luge run. We’ve blogged about it many times in the past, but let’s just say, this year’s was one of the best, and had far improved accessibility this year, to accommodate the fact that getting Jon uphill is getting harder.

Jon’s luge time got cut short by both the weather and being under it, but he still wildly enjoyed about 8 runs down, with two good solid wipeouts. (I had forgotten just how much Jon cherishes wipeouts). This being her first year in action, Photon immediately took her position as Emergency Response team leader, following us down the run and ensuring everyone survived.

EMR Team response to Wipeout Emergency.

EMR Team response to clean run.

This pretty much describes Photon’s weekend. Keski is the Masons’ 5-and-a-half month old golden doodle, and he’s a sweetie. He wanted to be with Photon always. Less “what are you doing?”, more “What are we doing?” He loves to wrestle but he didn’t always clue in to when enough was enough. When it got to that point, sometimes Photon would engage him under the kitchen table or near a doorway, where she had room to manoeuver and his puppy not-quite-dexterity led him to bump his head hard, and often.

Accompanying us snowshoeing, Photon chases sticks off-trail (in a rare un-pursued moment).

We got to meet up with old friends, like Catherine and Bob. Catherine is not only an M.D. Family Practitioner, but also an Expert Canine Dietician. To quote (after the fifteenth time of feeding Photon human dinner scraps under the table, culminating in lemon custard pie): “You can’t have chicken without dessert!”. 😕

And here’s Kevin and Heawon, pictured here outside their new house, just as we left after a lovely three hour visit…and immediately returned for another 5-hour visit (thanks so much guys!), since freezing rain had just turned the road to the highway into a hill of sheer ice, with cars in the ditch. Paul eventually came to our rescue with his studded tires and led us to the now gravelled road. (Thanks Paul!)

Regrets: Circumstances didn’t allow me to lace up the ol’ skates and teach Paul how to play hockey on his huge backyard rink this year. But it’s almost as fun to shovel and scrape.

Thanks Paul and Judy!

Laura snowshoeing with Photon.

Many times, often out of nowhere, Jon has often stated, “Dreams are not real.” This is said firmly but always as if looking for immediate confirmation. But on these occasions if we ask if he’s had a dream, he denies it, so we’ve never had an insight into what he might be experiencing. What are his wonders, conflicts, worries? Are his dreams strongly visual, or are they more audio in nature?

As I finished brushing my teeth last night, Jon started whining from his bed. This sound used to be very common: in fact, it’s only in the past year after the latest operation that Jon has matured and stopped waking up by crying or whining (whew!). Now generally, whatever the hour, he announces the interruption of his sleep with the words “Hey Dad!”. (d’oh!)

So to hear his whining was familiar, yet odd. I opened his door and asked what was the matter. He sleep-muttered something, and I didn’t think that I’d heard it right, so I asked again. He repeated, sleepy and stressful, “He’s taking the rainbow!”. So I asked Jon if he was dreaming or having a nightmare and all I got were shallow grunts in response. I don’t think he was really awake. I have a history of sleep-walking, and occasionally sleep talking, and Jon has a history of night terrors, so it’s quite possible that it wasn’t even as deep as a dream.

I told him that I was there, and that he was here, and everything was fine and immediately his breathing pattern changed and he began to snore softly.

I don’t know exactly what was going on, but worrying about someone taking (stealing?) a rainbow is certainly a worthy problem to have, and it’s a wonderful first insight into Jon’s dreamworld.

This would have everything to do with Laura’s previous post…