Wachyia!! I'm Homeward Bound

I clicked my heels together three times and huge wind blew me back to Southern Ontario.
Wachyia! Wachyia! Pronounced 'wadjay' means 'hello' in  eastern dialect Cree and is almost the same as the Dene word 'wotziye' for 'hello'.
     .April 1st I got a phone call from Denis - the Clnical Coordinator at JBGH. He tells me in his thick French Canadian accent that my Air Creebec flight has been cancelled for Sunday.  At first I thought it was an April fool prank but to tell the truth I was not surprised since it was Easter Sunday and probably not many people travelling to or from Fort Albany or Attawapiskat.  Fortunately I was rebooked on Thunder Air.  Good because you don't have to be at the airport until 15 minutes before your flight (basically when you see the plane coming in, head over there).  Maybe not as good - they are smaller aricraft.  So when I woke up on Sunday morning listeneing to the wind whistling at the windows I was wondering if I was going to be spending a few extra days in the north.  I called Thunder Air in Timmins and they informed me that they plane was on its way up the coast (James Bay) and that tough little Beechcraft King Air 100 arrived at Fort Albany as scheduled at 2 pm.  Me and two young guys that had been there doing roofing on the nurses' quarters were waiting outside the 'terminal' - which by the way is about the size of a one care garage - and the pilot & co-pilot let us in when they arrived.  No airport staff in sight - again not a surprise since whether anyone turns up for work totally depends on wheter they wnat to or not.  Again a cultural thing that took some getting used to.  This happens frequently in the hosptial where keeping tabs on the aids that take care of the Elders is a job unto itself. So, the pilot & co-pilot check us in and load our luggage.  Meanwhile Denis is saying "Aye, aye - aye Janeece, it looks very borderline. That wind she's going to make that little plane go crazy.  I am very nervous."  Thanks Denis - I feel so much better now about taking off in this high wind.  At this point I smacked him and informed him that he was not helping but thanks for bringing my bags over.
     So anyway - once the luggage and the three of us were aboard the little 9 seater, off we go down the runway.  Thankfully the wind direction was the same as the runway and there was no crosswind so takeoff was reasonably smooth.  We encountered a few bumps, dodges & dives during ascent but otherwise pretty good. It was nice to see the miles & miles of muskeg and the expanse of the Albany River and James Bay from the air. Just when you think you are at home in the air, you have to land in windy conditions.  As soon as we began our decent at Timmins we starting pitching & rolling & dropping like the floor has fallen out below you.  The young guys were laughing their asses off but mine was clenched so tight you could get a well-lubed BB up there.  I remember recalling about that old joke about putting your head between your legs and kissing you ass good bye and thinking 'well that's rediculous - there isn't enough room to even put your head down never mind the rest of the procedure.  Funny what goes through your head...
     Then we are taxiing towards the terminal in Timmins and to my surprise we scoot right on by.  We keep gong, and going, and going.  Strange - I think - since terminal usually indicates the end of the trip. Not so with Thunder Airlines.  We went so far down the tarmac that I was beginning to think they were dropping us in downtown Timmins; an added benefit to Thunder Air that was unaware of  :)  But no - they have their own little office & gate at the very fringes of the airport property and so as I see the other passengers waving at their friends & family that are there to pick them up, I am thinking 'there is no way I'm dragging these bags all the way back to the terminal'.  Of course they gave me a lift and I found  nice corner in the terminal that had an electrical outlet and settled in to have a snack and watch a movie on my laptop.
     Next thing you know it is time to go., I was surprised to see how many people arrive for the flight; many were heading to toronto for connections to balmy southern climes like Cuba.  The take of in the much larger Dash 8 was a piece of cake but also I think the wind had dminished by then.  We left at 7:35 and arrived in Toronto on schedule at 9:12 - how do they do that?????  What a beautiful approach to TO - it was crystal clear and you could see every light of the city as well as those across Lake Ontario.  I understand that these small flights are always at the far end of the Air Canada Terminal and so I was prepared for the long walk to baggage pick-up.  It funny ow you go up an down form level 1 to 2 and back again but eventually I was on the escalator down to the baggage carousels and since the crowds were sparse I could see Dave, Kelli & Riley waiting for me.  My bags appeared exactly at the moment that I reached the carousel - how do they do that????  Once the long-awaited hugs and snuggles abated we headed off for the parking garage and the tirp down the 401 to home. 
     Wow - talk about over-stimulation.  My whole world for the last three months has been a community the size of many shopping malls and with a whole lot less cars and people.  As I mentioned in one of my early posts, there is no "hurry" there.  It all seems rather sureal and I am still absorbing and processing much of m experience.  I am home - but what is home.  If home is where the heart is, I have many homes since I leave a bit of my heart anywhere I make contact witht he land and its people.  This is certialy true of the little Northern Ontario community of Fort Albany or Peetabeck as is its Cree name. One thing for sure, this is not the end of my story...