BEYOND LIMITS: Awaken Your Potential
"Nothing is stronger than the Human Spirit. "
Dear Folks,
Here are a few photos from our recent trip to CT and ECAD so that Mari could test. The photos are from the test and then show the result. She is a Rock Star and passed with flying colors. I am so proud of her and so grateful to have ECAD’s best dog. I truly could not live without her!
To celebrate, we went to the vegan cafe and got sandwiches to bring home. It doesn’t get any better than that day. 😍
Thanks for your good thoughts and support.
Hugs and Wags.
🐾🐾🐑💕
Hello, Everyone! Saint and Dusty here. Every day is a blessing for us and even though we have gone on a lot of adventures in our time, it’s the average ones that stick with us the most. Every day begins and ends in Mummy’s bed. On days we stay right at home, usually we hop on
the treadmill for a little walk (or jog) to keep our hearts healthy and our legs strong to stay in shape. Usually Mummy just works at her desk the whole time while we do this. If we have to go to campus, we then ride the lift downstairs and help Mummy get ready and then we load up in
Miracle and ride to UMPI.
Once we get to campus, most times we will stop by Mummy’s office and help her take off her coat and gloves when it’s cold. Then we make our way down the hall to the classroom and lie down on our bed at the front of the class. Sometimes we sense students looking and smiling at us, sometimes not. Sometimes we fight with each other over who gets the most space
on the bed, sometimes we don’t. A lot of classes involve a lot of Mummy speaking but also a lot of conversations between students and Mummy and students with one another. Each class seems very talkative. Although there are those few times a year when a movie is played and the room
gets very dark. Those are always the best days for sleeping.
After the classes are over for the day, we go back down the hall to Mummy’s office while she stays for a while working on her computer. Our bed in her office is right under her desk so we can be close to her. Sometimes guests will stop in and make things a little more interesting. Some nights Mummy is there very late working, reading her students’ work and giving them
feedback.
Once we get home, we do everything in reverse, going back up the lift and back into bed. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. We will finish this blog by saying something we’ve heard Mummy say in her classes before. You can have good days and bad days, but most of the time you just have days.
Hello everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
Today, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on something that happened this semester. While Mummy was with her students and her focus was on their work, we experienced abuse from a student we had thought was a friend. We are very good dogs and would never do anything to make a scene such as barking for Mummy’s attention while in a meeting. In fact, service dogs like us are trained not to bark and we take that training very seriously.
So, when a student came up to us and tied one of our gentle-lead-nosepieces to one of our vests, we became stuck together in an awkward position until the end of the meeting. We might have been stuck for a longer time if a couple of Mummy’s other students had not stayed behind and realized we needed help. Mummy was very upset that we had been treated that way because she knew we did not do anything to the person who tied us together.
We decided that we should share what happened to bring some awareness to the issue. As services dogs, we will not defend ourselves, so unfortunately this means people could get away with abusing us. It hurts knowing that people might abuse us because we love everyone so much. If it can happen to us, then it can happen to any service dog. Even though there is an ADA law that protects us, abuse can still happen. We feel grateful that Mummy was there and that the abuse did not escalate any further. Other service dogs may not be as lucky. So, Mummies and Daddies, please be aware of the company who is around your service dog or fur baby because we cannot tell you if they harm us.
Here is a picture of the newly broken plastic hook on our vest that the gentle lead was tied to.
Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Saint and Dusty
Hello everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
Today was such a good day. Instead of going straight to school, Mummy took us and our newest sister, Megan (one of Mummy’s students), to the grocery store. We love going to the grocery store because everything smells so good. We get to smell the bouquets of flowers, the bread from the bakery and anything else we pass. Mummy had a fruit bowl waiting for her! We always get so excited when Mummy gets us fruit.
Before we left the store, Mummy stopped to see Penny. Penny works at the grocery store but she always makes time to say “hi” to us. After seeing Penny and paying for the fruit bowl, we went back to school. Class was even more exciting, since we got sweet, juicy fruit throughout the day!
Here is a picture of Mummy feeding us fruit!
Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Hello everyone! Saint and Dusty here. It has been over six months, but we thought we’d talk about one of the strangest days of our lives! Last summer, Mummy loaded up the van Mummy calls Miracle with all sorts of food and clothes. We weren’t sure where we were going, but we knew it would
be for a long time. We’ve been on long road trips before with Mummy, but knew this one was different. She even packed a little fridge in the back!
After many long days of traveling and staying in many different bedrooms, one day seemed to never end. We began riding on this very bumpy road. Dust was flying up on both sides of Miracle. Mummy seemed a little bit stressed. The little handle on the steering wheel kept popping off and Mummy kept having to put it back on. We knew we would stop eventually, but the day kept dragging on. We were content to spend most of the day sleeping as usual, but we kept waking up and it seemed like we were still
in the same spot of the road. It all looked the same!
Eventually, very very late at night, we woke up and heard Mummy talking to a man. “You’ve still got four hours to go!” we heard the man say. Finally, we had an idea how much time was left. That’s only about three classes worth. We knew we could sleep through the rest.
When we woke up again, we heard Mummy talking to another man who spoke like he was very important. There were huge fences with big round circles on top of them. We haven’t seen anything like that in Maine. We heard Mummy say she was trying to find the hotel, and the man tell her this was a military compound. All sorts of other men we noticed were holding big guns! Suddenly, the day went from long to strange. Eventually, the man was nice and helped give Mummy directions to the hotel. Finally, the day that seemed like it would never end, ended. We knew Mummy would get us wherever we were going, and we never worried. That’s Mummy’s job!
Hello everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
Mummy took us on another adventure today — Tuesday, March 15, 2023. It was a great day in Washington, D.C. We waited in line to tour the White House, which started at 11 a.m. It took time to get inside, but we made it! We went with many of our friends who are usually in Mummy’s classes. We took many photos with Mummy and the group while inside the White House.
There was so much to see! We saw the state dining room (yum), the blue room, the red room and the green room. We saw that the library has over 2,700 books. That is a lot of hours spent reading!
Because of Mummy we even got to see exclusive areas of the White House such as the part of the building that has scorch marks from when the British burned it in the War of 1812. It was a day to remember! We cannot tell President Biden’s dog this, but we even urinated on his lawn, which means we technically own part of that lawn now, if we are using dog rules.
The fun did not stop at the end of the White House tour. The next place we went was the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. We saw so many bones!! Although these bones were too big to chew on because they once belonged to dinosaurs! We ended up staying until they shut down the place.
Here is a photo of us with the whole group spending time in the White House!
Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Hello everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
Today –Monday, March 13, 2023—was such an unusual day. Mummy woke us up very early so that we would be out of Presque Isle by 1 a.m. We had a goal to get to Washington, D.C., with 11 of our friends who wanted to come with us. For us this meant catching two flights on time. Good thing we really enjoy catch!
We arrived at Bangor and caught our first flight. We flew in style when Mummy got us moved up to first class. We got many smiles as we greeted each person walking to their seats on the plane. All of the passengers loved us!
There were also many good smells and crumbs surprises under each seat.
Our second flight took us to Washington, D.C. There were not as many crumbs under these seats as there were on the first flight. We got to nap the rest of the way there. When we woke up, we had done it! We were in D.C.
From then on it was back to riding in a vehicle. A nice man in a wheelchair accessible van drove us to our hotel.
Teri was waiting at the hotel for us! Teri has helped Mummy and us many times. This time she is attaching wheels to a big kennel so that Mummy can pull us around in it. This will be great for our journey through Washington!
Here is a photo of us spending time together inside in the airplane.
Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Saint and Dusty
Hello everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
Mummy took us to a special place in town on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. It was –7 degrees, but we ventured out in Miracle –the van Mummy drives– anyway. The drive was quick. We pulled up to the building and got inside from the cold with ease.
For five years we have been going to Salon 207 because this is where Kim works. Kim is a beautician who cuts Mummy’s hair. Kim also makes sure that Mummy always has access to the ramp to get into the building even when guys in Jeeps think the accessibility ramp is a parking space. That has happened often. It’s good to have Kim looking out for us!
Mummy’s haircuts aren’t long, but we make the most of our time by sniffing around. Kim lets us explore the room while she and Mummy are busy. Sometimes there the sun shines through the windows onto the floor and that makes for a great spot to lie down. This time there was no sunny
spot to lie in, so we spent time together, by Mummy’s side, until her hair was all cut.
When we were getting ready to leave, some other costumers were just coming in. We greeted them before heading back outside, going down the ramp, and then into our seats inside of Miracle. What a good day.
Here is a photo of us spending time together inside Salon 207 during the hair appointment!
Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Saint and Dusty
Hello everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
It has been a while since we were able to go watch a basketball game. The gym looks so very different now! Although we could smell some dry wall that we remember from when they worked on our house years ago. So we think that there must have been some big construction since the last time we went.
This time we were able to sit in the bleachers! Mummy had a spot all picked out for her
that happened to be right next to the opposing team’s players. This felt a little weird since we knew we were there to root for the Owls. We recognized some of the players warming up before the game started from one of Mummy’s afternoon classes. We could tell by their scents because
they all look the same in their uniforms. We could sense that Mummy wanted to go right out on the floor to ask them about their progress reports. (That has been a big topic of discussion we remember from that class when we aren’t asleep)
The women’s game was pretty easy going, as people in the crowd seemed to be happy throughout. The women’s team was playing really well. Once the men’s game began, however, things started to feel much tenser. Players were getting really rough out there. The student section kept yelling at one individual player from the other team. We think it was because he was
scoring a lot. Toward the end of the game when things were really tense he came flying across the floor right next to us. He almost slid right into us! He didn’t, thankfully, and wasn’t hurt. The game went right down to it, and unfortunately the Owls lost. The energy in the building was a little deflated. But we know there will always be more games to be played.
It was awesome watching a basketball games again, with all the people in one big room cheering the Owls on. We can’t wait to attend more!
Hugs and Wags,
Saint and Dusty.
Hello Everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
Anyone who knows Mummy at all knows that her daddy was a huge influence on her. She always says that anything that she has achieved she owes to him. We thought about him a lot on our trip. We know that he would have been so excited about our adventures.
When Mummy was a very little person, her daddy took her mummy, her sister, and Mummy on a trip to Quebec. One of the highlights was a visit to the basilica at Sainte Anne de Beaupre.
Mummy had always wanted to go back. Since we were traveling through Quebec on our way home to Maine and would be staying only a few hours from the shrine, this seemed like the perfect time to visit.
The weather was not good the day that we went: Thursday, August 18, 2022. It was raining really hard and foggy. We had to drive through Quebec City, which had lots of road construction. But Mummy was determined. And amazingly enough, when we got to Sainte Anne de Beaupre, the weather cleared! It didn’t get really sunny, but we were able to walk around the grounds and savor the beautiful views, as well as explore the inside of the basilica.
The basilica is old. They have made some real efforts to make it accessible to everyone. We were able to see quite a lot. We tagged along with a group that was getting a tour in English. It was wonderful to learn the history of the shrine and what so many of the artifacts mean.
The only thing that we took exception to was the mosaics of the seven deadly sins in the floor. We specifically objected to the illustration of Envy. They depicted a dog! Can you believe it? All the dogs we know are very kind and generous.
This excursion meant a lot to Mummy. She wanted to thank her dad for the good life that his faith and support of her has made possible. We bet that he was smiling down during our whole visit.
Driving back to our hotel, the weather was awful again. But we got back safely. And the weather didn’t matter. We had done what we set out to do. So we brought the sunshine with us.
We have a photo of the mosaic with the dogs symbolizing envy. But we would rather share a photo of us outside on the lovely grounds of the shrine.
Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Dusty and Saint
Hello Everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
When people ask us how we decide to stay where we do on our trips, we explain that the answer is simple. We need to stay in a hotel that is wheelchair accessible. The vast majority of hotels still are not. That always kind of shocks people when we tell them. There’s a lot that goes into accessibility. We won’t go into the details here. But if you would like to learn more, we are happy to share.
If you’re going through a less populated area, you are going to have fewer options. So those days of driving were longer, since we needed to get to the next stop that was wheelchair accessible. That’s how we wound up making a reservation for the Microtel in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, for 8/15/2022-8/17/2022. We knew that there was a lake in Kirkland Lake (hence the name). But that was about it.
Kirkland Lake was a wonderful surprise. The lake attracts people to fish and do water sports—none of which we do. But there were other fantastic features. Kirkland Lake is a lovely little city. It’s immaculate. Within a short roll of our hotel is an amazing monument to labor (mining), beautifully landscaped.
The people who work at the hotel could not have been nicer. They were very, very interested in what we do and in service dogs in general. This was a great teaching opportunity.
Mummy asked the staff if there were a nice park where she could take us. That’s how we found Kinross Pond.
Kinross Pond is a treasure. It’s a few blocks off the main street, which is the Trans Canada Highway. But those few blocks take you to another world. The pond has a fountain in the middle. It is surrounded by marsh grasses. There is a paved loop around the pond. There are inviting benches periodically so that people can rest and contemplate. There are markers every so often around the loop that give you the history of Kirkland Lake and tell you about some of its significant residents and events.
When we went, it was lunchtime. So we saw a small cross-section of the community. There were people who seemed to be taking a break from work. There were children on the playground. There was a family having a picnic. There was a very elderly man having his daily constitutional. Boy, was he moving! Several people brought their dogs there.
Here’s a photo of us relaxing by the pond. It was pretty warm that day, as you can tell. Behind us, in the distance, you can see the fountain in the pond. This truly was an unexpected gem.
Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Saint and Dusty
Hello, Everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
When you think of Ontario, Canada, your first thought might not be of a jungle. But that’s exactly what we found during our stay in Thunder Bay, Ontario. On Sunday, August 14, 2022, we went to the Centennial Botanical Conservatory. The conservatory was a project by the Fort William Parks Board. It opened in 1967 and is a legacy to the citizens of Thunder Bay. It is open year round. It must feel amazing to step into the jungle setting in the middle of winter.
We went on a quiet, rainy Sunday. We were the only people inside. We took our time, checked out everything, took lots of photos. Because of COVID, the cactus house wing was closed—people would be packed in awfully close. But we could see in.
Mummy let us climb up on a couple of benches along the way. You can get tired walking through a jungle. The benches are very thoughtfully placed to encourage people to sit, enjoy, meditate. The plants are labeled so that people can learn. They really must like it in the conservatory—some of them are really, really tall.
In the summer, the outside grounds are also very lovely, filled with gardens and bee hives. Even though it was rainy, we truly enjoyed strolling around. It was so peaceful.
We are including a photo of us, a closeup of us on a bench. Dusty really likes to rest her head on Saint. And Saint, being a good big sister, lets her.
Sometimes we hear people saying, “It’s a jungle out there.” We wonder if they’re talking about the Centennial Botanical Conservatory in Thunder Bay?
Until next time. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Saint and Dusty
Hello, Everyone! Saint and Dusty here.
Mummy drives our van, Miracle, using hand controls. There is no driver’s seat. Mummy deploys a ramp, rolls up it into Miracle, folds up the ramp, and locks into the driver seat space in her wheelchair to drive. Since she can’t use her feet, she has to do everything with her hands. With her right hand, she uses a spinner knob that allows her to completely control the steering wheel and make the sharpest turns with only one hand. It clamps onto the steering wheel. Mummy’s is egg shaped. That’s more comfortable for her little hand than a round shape. It has blue tooth toggle switches that she can use for her directional signals, bright lights, and windshield washing. She uses her left hand for a lever that ties into the brake and gas pedals. She accelerates or brakes using that lever: down for gas, forward to brake.
Mummy has been using hand controls for many years. She has never had a problem with them—until we were driving across Manitoba, toward Winnipeg, on August 10. Suddenly, the spinner knob fell off the steering wheel into Mummy’s lap. This was a terrible feeling. We were still more than 2,000 miles from home. How could we make it that far without our spinner knob?
If this was going to happen, it couldn’t have picked a better location. Manitoba is very flat and the roads are quite straight. (We are so lucky that this did not happen in the Rocky Mountains.). Mummy managed to tamp the spinner knob back onto the wheel so that she could use it, although it kept falling off.
When we got to Winnipeg, Mummy took the spinner knob, put it on the steering wheel, and lined up the set screws. (They were still in the spinner knob.). She didn’t think that she had any tool small enough to tighten the tiny screws. Then she remembered that she had a small file on a little Leatherman tool on her key fob. So she was able to use that.
In Winnipeg we saw one of Mummy’s former students, Terry Lewycky. He came to see us to catch up and brought some tools. We were also able to borrow an Allen wrench from the hotel maintenance man. So we got the spinner knob back on good and tight.
We didn’t want all this excitement to prevent us from going to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. We had been looking forward to that for so long. So we went on Friday, August 12.
This was the first Museum for Human Rights in the world. It is an amazing place and so accessible. The parking was fantastic. The bathrooms were the embodiment of accessibility. We saw many exhibits and films. The lower levels of the museum focus on Canadian Human Rights. There was much information about Indigenous/First Nations people and Metis. Higher floors looked at Human Rights, globally. You could spend weeks there and not see and absorb everything.
The docents had urged us to be sure to go to the top of the Israel Asper Tower of Hope. People can climb the steps, which symbolize the challenges of achieving Human Rights. Fortunately for us, there is also an elevator. It’s very moving and humbling to be at the top. On a clear day—and we were there on a very clear day—you can see all over Winnipeg and beyond.
We are including a photo of us with Mummy at the top of the Israel Asper Tower of Hope. Our dream is that you draw some hope for Human Rights from it. As Mummy always says: We All Can Make a Difference. We All Can Be That Difference. Let Us Start Today.
Until next time, folks. Take care. Be well. Hugs and wags.
Dusty and Saint
Hello Everyone! Saint, here.
Tonight Mummy and I are in Morris, IL. That’s a little beyond Chicago.
Today we drove across Ohio and Indiana. It was beautiful farm country. There were lots and lots of trucks on the road and much road construction, so we pretty much just chugged along and didn’t get many photos.
In Indiana, we stopped at a rest area named for Ernie Pyle, a famous war correspondent during World War II who reported on the infantry and was killed during the battle of Okinawa.
Driving through the outskirts of Chicago was pretty exciting. I have never seen so much traffic. I don’t know if Mummy was nervous. I wasn’t nervous, though. I trust Mummy to get through anything.
One of the big achievements for us so far is that Mummy has been able to pump our own gas. Now, most people probably don’t really like to pump their gas, but for them it’s not a big deal. But for people in wheelchairs, it can be a very big deal. Gas pumps usually have a concrete curb around them to protect from being hit by a runaway car. These curbs used to be too wide for Mummy to get close enough to reach the pump. So when we travel, Mummy has always had to go into the gas station store and get someone from inside to pump for us. Most of the time people are pretty nice. Sometimes they are not. They seem to think that Mummy is annoying. And if there is only one person working in the store, we sometimes have to wait a long time.
So before we left for this trip, Mummy worked really hard to try to strengthen her arms enough to lift the pump. And so far, she’s done it! Also, the newer pumps now have a cutout that’s perfect for a wheelchair to get closer. Mummy says that this makes us a little freer.
Who knows what adventures lie ahead? I’ll try to keep you all posted.
Wags and hugs.
Saint
Dear Folks,
We made it safely to Boston and back for our annual medical visit. You can see Dr. Gomery and his assistant, Lee, in the attached photos.
We also took a day to go to Leicester, near Worcester, to see our friend Kristin. She has the most beautiful garden and fenced area.
It was awfully hot and the Girls got overheated. My niece, Megan, took the Girls to lie on her cool basement floor and applied ice cubes to cool them down.
Sharon, my sister, lives in a condo that is inaccessible. She puts up portable ramps when we go so that we can enter and exit. As I was going g down the ramp one evening, Karma went off the ramp. Fortunately, I was near the bottom, so the chair didn’t flip, throw me, or land on me. It did get stuck, though, with some wheels off the ramp and some wheels on. Since I could not move, we called the Woburn (where Sharon lives) fire department. They came right away, quickly freed the chair — and me — and even hammered the ramp back into shape. Shout Out to PJ, Brad, and Mark for their kind, gracious, and STRONG help.
ALWAYS an Adventure.
Hugs and Wags.
Dear Folks,
On May 14 and 15, the Lowmans had the great honor and pleasure of visiting the Presque Isle High School as guests in four of Kevin Malenfant’s health classes. We shared our messages that success is rising one more time than you fall, that we should not place bars on our insides and clip the wings of our dreams, and some Lessons and Pearls that Dad taught us.
Dad taught us to: Believe, Try, Adapt, Persist, and Laugh. He also taught us that even when things don’t turn out the way that we want them to at that moment, they usually turn out for the best long term.
The Girls were extremely popular, although the students did resist the temptation to try to interact with them. We were also delighted to get to show off what a miracle our van, Miracle is.
Hugs and Wags.
Here are some photos and a video from Dr. J’s most recent adventure. The Lowmans participated in Over the Edge, a fundraising event held in Worcester, Massachusetts. Thanks to so much generosity, the Lowmans raised over 2,500 dollars for Canines for Disabled Kids for them to do this event, which entailed Dr. J rappelling down the side of a tall building in downtown Worcester.
To view a video of Dr. J’s descent click below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eYGasPhqblXchuunL5s9h8yWKzJlo8pa/view?usp=sharing
(August 23)
Dear Folks,
This is where we will spend tonight. It gets excellent reviews and is said to be completely accessible.
More tomorrow.
Hugs and Wags.
The Lowman Family
(August 24)
Dear Folks,
Well, our Journey consisted of 10,381 eventful, amazing, but–most significantly–SAFE miles.
What a thrill and privilege this trip has been. We have a lot to process and think about.
We give a shoutout to Google. As someone with the directional sense of a lemming, I thank her for making our Journey much easier. She showed the correct way most of the time. She can be a little sneaky, though.
On all our previous trips crossing back into the US from Canada, we have come through Van Buren. That’s what we wanted to do yesterday. We put in for directions for Drummondville to home on Friday to get an idea of time. She showed us coming home through Van Buren. We put in for directions yesterday, but did not check the directions. We got concerned when she had us get off the Route Transcanadienne and take secondary roads in Quebec and New Brunswick. We went through picturesque little villages on the water. And then we saw the sign for the Ft. Kent Bridge. Rats.
But it turned out for the best. We met John Anderson, the customs agent. He asked where we lived and we said Washburn. Then he asked where we had been in Canada. When we said the Arctic Ocean, his jaw dropped. He said that he has been doing that job for 18 years, and that was the first time anyone had said those words to him. He asked if there was a city at the Arctic: he wanted to learn more. We told him Tuktoyaktuk. That is hard to remember. SO we gave him a BEYOND LIMITS’ business card, so that he could follow what we had done.
Our favorite ride–even after all our travels–is coming down Route 11, a scenic byway–from Ft. Kent. We often do that to celebrate holidays. I did not think, after all our travel, that we would do that for Labor Day. So we did not: we did it yesterday, instead. We share some photos from the scenic byway.
When we got home, Mari was first to note it. She was beside herself. The Girls tore around the backyard. Then I did a lot of unloading.
This morning, Al and his son, Sheldon, came and helped us finish unloading and organizing.
The first part of the week will be spa times for Karma and Miracle.
Thank you so much, Folks, for your support, interest, and love. Having you as your network was a continual inspiration. We wish that you could have all joined us. But we felt your presence every step of the way. We have such an AMAAAAZINGGG network. We look forward to catching up with each of you individually over the next little while.
And please share about BEYOND LIMITS with others: beyondlimitsawaken.org. Ricky’s had been turning our texts into blogs. You can find on the website under Top of the World Journey. We would love to share more about BEYOND LIMITS with others.
Thanks again, folks. We couldn’t have done this without your help.
Take care. Be well.
The Lowman Family
(August 21)
Dear Folks,
We are delighted to report that we are in Drummondville. It took us three hours to get through Montreal. We would hate to have to do that every day.
More soon.
Hugs and Wags.
The Lowman Family
(August 22)
Dear Folks,
Here’s a post from our last full day on the road.
The Quality Suites in Drummondville looks like an old chateau from the outside. This is the fourth time that we have stayed here.
When we got here last night, there had been a mix-up about our room. We have always stayed in the wheelchair accessible suite on the first floor: the Akito room. We made our reservation in January and specified this room. They also have a similar room on the second floor. Someone had put a note on our reservation that said EITHER the first or second floor. We explained that that was not us: we would never willingly choose a room for which we would need to use an elevator: more hassle to get dogs in, no use in case of fire, etc.
The first floor room was taken. So we had to go with the second floor. The manager, Susanne, pictured, said that they felt terrible. So they would move us downstairs today when the first floor room was available. And we happened to be outside in the back when Susanne came out and saw us preparing to bring in our other load. She thought that we were traveling with another person, because I had talked about “we.” She was amazed that it was the Lowman family. So she got a luggage cart (something I can never use) and brought the rest of our things upstairs. She saw the BEYOND LIMITS logo on Miracle, so we got a chance to tell her about our organization and give her a card.
Today, after the people checked out of the first floor room, they cleaned it and then came with a luggage cart to help us move downstairs. We also had an opportunity to suggest to Susanne how they could make the wheelchair accessible rooms more accessible. These are things that a non-wheelchair user might not realize: a lower peephole and lock on the room door; a lower rod in the closet; the microwave on the counter and not in a high alcove; a lower hook on the bathroom door. Susanne “got it” right away. We talked about a few longer term fixes for the bathroom. We explained the need to be able to back next to a toilet. And the shelf in the shower with shampoo and conditioner is too high.
We feel very encouraged by the reception that these suggestions HOT and hope that some can be implemented.
Tomorrow we go home. It has been a wonderful trip–lots to ponder and write about. And lots to do–unpack, laundry, work on Karma, two spa days for Miracle–one at Percy’s and one at Mobility Works.
And LOTS of people to thank for their constant support, care, and concern–including all of you.
Hugs and Wags.
The Lowman Family
PS: And the only place on this whole trip that has given the Girls their own beds! Of course at night, they tuck against Mummy. But otherwise, these comfy beds sure beat a hard floor. 😇
Hugs and Wags.
The Lowman Family
PPS: Susanne also has two Labs–a black and a chocolate.
(August 19)
Dear Folks,
Greetings from Kirkland Lake. On our way here, we made a quick stop at Beardmore. We thought that you might enjoy the giant snowman statue.
The day started out very foggy and rainy. The fog diminished. The rain was intermittent all day.
It was a fine drive, but long.
When we got here and tried to unload, Karma’s wheels got tangled in our broom and Mari’s leash. Thankfully, David was outside, talking with his son. He came to our rescue, taking the broom apart and stashing it and untangling the leash. The Girls gave him kisses of gratitude. David also lugged in our suitcase.
David is very mechanical. He redoes houses (for fun, we think). He started out as an electrician and now is a crane technician. He travels all over northern Ontario, visiting mines and servicing their cranes. He says that’s what keeps a population in northern Ontario–mining–and logging. He lives in Sudbury and has a vacation home in Nova Scotia.
David grew up on Cape Cod. His mother is from the Berkshires. He has relatives in Maine, but could not say where. He has been in Canada for at least 34 years. So…another helping angel.
We went for a walk by the Microtel. That is where we found the Miners’ Memorial. It is such an impressive 3-D sculpture. We hope that you can read the legend. What an extraordinary way to make a living.
Hugs and wags for tonight.
The Lowman Family.
August 20
Dear Folks,
An early text today. We are preparing for our last big push tomorrow.
Today we went to Kinross Pond. We had found it when we went through in 2022. It’s an absolute gem: and there is a paved path that goes all along its circumference. (We made sure to stay on the path.).
Kirkland Lake has a population of about 10,000. In case you were wondering what kind of mining they do here–gold. Along the paved path there are plaques to famous KL-ers. We were intrigued to learn that the character played by Charles Bronson in “The Great Escape” was modeled on the Tunnel King of Kirkland Lake. During World War II, a group of miners from Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba served in a special tunneling corps. That included several from Kirkland Lake. And several of their famous sons and daughters are known globally.
The pond is beautiful and peaceful. People go to walk and ponder. Some feed the pigeons and chipmunks. This is bear country, so we are back to the metal bear-résistant containers. We saw a large quantity of bear scat.
People here–as throughout the northern climes–seem to really treasure the chance to be outside. And you see people across the age spectrum –from very young to very old. The human spirit finds a way, not just to survive, but to thrive.
Tomorrow night we should be in Drummondville. Getting there should be an adventure. 😇
Hugs and Wags.
The Lowman Family
(August 18)
Dear Folks,
Here is another text. We wanted to give a few shout outs to folks.
The last two legs of our trip are pretty long. Some people have asked why. In this part of ON, it is beautiful and rural. There aren’t many settlements with lodging after this, much less wheelchair accessible lodging. That is why our next stop will be Kirkland Lake. We stayed there three years ago. It is a lovely town. When we called the Microtel the last time to reserve their wheelchair accessible room, they asked which one. They have eight. We were surprised. They said that they take accessibility seriously.
And why Drummondville, Québec ? It is on the far side of Montreal. We want to get through there.
So…Paula, we will be doing a lot of singing and car dancing. Thank you for that wonderful gift.
We send a huge thank you to Ricky Goupille. He is BEYOND LIMITS’ media person. He has been turning our texts into blogs that he puts on the BEYOND LIMITS website. Ricky, you have been getting readers. You are helping BEYOND LIMITS so much.
Before we left home, our good friend Pam reminded us that our organization isn’t called “BEYOND LIMITS” for us to sit home and stare at the walls. We hear your voice frequently, Pam, cheering us on.
Jill, our writing coach: you said that this trip should be a chapter of our book. We think this could fill several chapters–maybe even a book of its own.
Kristin, thanks for cheering us on, despite your life challenges right now. You know better than anyone that this trip is a piece of cake compared to the one in 2022 when Saint was so old and Dusty had not been diagnosed or medicated.
Betsy, you gave us a special strand of beads before our last trip. It is still proudly hanging on Karma and brings us luck and good things. The customized muslin bag that you made us has been reinforced by both Sharon and Lucinda. It has been a perfect bag. It is falling apart, but will make it through the rest of the trip. When we send you our reverse care package of mendable items, we will include the bag and hope that you can find time at some point to make another.
Jason, we still love to drive. We reluctantly think that we maybe should give up on the idea of bringing a long-distance truck driver. We are not fast, and time is money.
And a big, big shout out and thank you to you, Sharon, for all you do for us–past and present. You did not have a choice in the sibling market. But we are so glad you got stuck with us. 💕😇
Hugs and Wags.
The Lowman Family
(August 17)
Dear Folks,
Greetings from the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Thunder Bay, ON. We are back in the Eastern Time Zone.
Thé TownePlace Suites are in a Wal-Mart parking lot-seriously. It doesn’t look great from the outside. We have a terrific wheelchair accessible room, though. There is a full kitchen that comes equipped with dishes and pans. We have TWO queen beds. And the bathroom is one of the most wheelchair friendly that we have encountered on our trip. So although this line is not in the top tier for Marriott, it has a lot going for it
They also have three extra-wide accessible parking places with striping next to them.
We wanted to share a few observations. In Canada, when you see a sign with three back triangles next to one another–sort of like the little houses in Monopoly–on either a yellow or orange background, it indicates problems with the road surface–it could be holes, bumps, gravel, heaves, etc., etc.
The signs here for moose show very determined moose in motion__one leg leading off and forward. Our northern Maine moose signs are pretty static in comparison.
We had to stop for gas in Upsala, ON. It is like Watson Lake, Yukon–the only option for many, many miles. We thought you would enjoy the pictures. The gas is full serve–but you have to pay inside. There is a restaurant, convenience store, inaccessible washroom (what everyone here calls a bathroom) and you can get your live bait.
We will send this off and send more after getting the Girls outside.
The Lowman Family
Dear Folks,
We are back from our last walk of the night.
It seems miraculous how the topography can change so remarkably with only a few hours of driving–not even 200 miles. You come into ON and there are hills, rivers, creeks, lakes–and lots and lots of forests. Some are mixed: birch and aspen with conifers. Some are mainly conifers. You don’t see logging trucks right through here. Instead you see lots of signs for wood pulp trucks to check their loads.
The railroad runs right along the Trans Canada. The banks leading to the tracks are covered in wild flowers.
We wish that we could have taken a photo of at least one of the lakes surrounded by forest. They are so beautiful. We wish that you could have all been with us to see.
As we were looking at the lakes, we thought: “beer signs.” Let us explain.
When I was a kid, sometimes, particularly on a Friday night, Dad would take us to eat at our local tavern called The Plainsman. It was not at all western, as the name might make you think. It was located in Plainville, MA. Mom always said that they had the best fish and chips and the worst drinks. But she hated to cook, so this was a treat.
The decor was typical tavern for that time. There were a number of lighted beer signs. These would depict a couple if guys (of course women did not drink beer) out in a boat on a pristine lake, surrounded by trees. It would be summer or fall and incredibly peaceful. The scene would be back lit. And then somewhere discreet but noticeable would be a beer name and logo. There were more beer brands then. Craft beers were not a thing. Our next door neighbor got one of the signs somehow and had it downstairs in her rec room
I hadn’t thought about that in so many years. Seeing those jewels of lakes, it all came flooding back. Those were great memories. We smile just thinking of them.
This text group means so much to us. We feel as though we get to talk with you every night. So we are never lonely. We feel your support.
Hugs and Wags.
The Lowman Family
(August 18)
Dear Folks,
Today is a very special day. Today is Mari’s second birthday. Huge and heartfelt thanks to ECAD–Lu, Jess, Kathleen, Charlie and the rest of the crew–staff members and canines–for raising and training Mari. Hard to believe that in less than four months, she has become a part of me and me of her. Quite simply, I could not function without her. She makes all things possible. I must admit that I had a dream last night that Lu was telling me that I was not keeping Mari’s nails short enough. 😇
I told Mari that I wanted her birthday to be special and memorable. It was, but not exactly as I had planned.
We wanted to visit the Mission Island Marsh, which we did. It is supposed to have a paved loop, which sounded wonderful. The site is not attended. We managed to get up to the payment kiosk and pay the parking fee, using up some loonies and toonies. Thanks again to Teri’s anonymous donor. We had a map, but since we are so vertically challenged, we cannot see signs and markers well. We saw a boardwalk, which, while not exactly “paved,” we thought must fit the bill. We got some lovely views. Then the boardwalk ended at the beach. We thought, well, if this is the accessible route, it must be OK to cut across the beach. Note to self: always trust your gut. All was fine, until we went to turn back to the boardwalk. Karma sank in. We tried rocking her out. She only sank in more deeply.
It is a cold, overcast day in Thunder Bay. At this point, there was no one at the marsh, other than us. The marsh is in Thunder Bay, but cell service is spotty. We had a hard time connecting with 911: the call kept getting dropped. Finally we got through and were able to explain that we were fine: just immobile for then. They sent the fire department.
In the meantime, it began to rain. Luckily, I had my raincoat, a blanket, and a bag to shield Karma’s joystick. The Girls were anxious for Mummy. Mari tried to comfort me. Dusty lay pressed against me.
Then the firefighters showed up: a group of angels in firefighters’ clothing. These are big guys: I think one or two of them could have picked up Karma with me in her. They got us out of the sand and back on the boardwalk. Some had never been to the marsh before. One of the guys is from Edmonton, although he had never been to Maine.
We told them about BEYOND LIMITS and asked if we could have a photo of them by their truck. Jeff took the photo so that we could all be in it. The men in the photo are Ben, Gus (?), and Ryan. To the middle gentleman–we are so sorry. We are sure that we have your name wrong, although we know that we repeated it. It’s hard to explain what a terrible feeling it is to suddenly be unable to move: it messes with your memory for a bit. Our email is on the business card that we gave you. So we will happily correct your name if you advise.
I knew that we would be Ok: more people would come to the marsh. And in a worst case, I would drop from my chair and crawl up the boardwalk. So glad it did not come to that.
By the way–we did find the paved loop after the fact.
We had a couple more stops to make. We needed a few groceries: carrots and yogurt for the Girls and a few more items. So we went to the Real Canadian Superstore. From what I gather, this is a bit like a Sam’s Club (we have never been to one).
We did find our items. There was a nice older couple in front of us who let us go first. Boy, were we lucky. This is a no frills place. No one takes your items out of your basket. And no one bags. The lady of the couple generously did both for us.
Last, we got gas. We had to wrestle with the pump when the hose got wrapped around Karma. But we got free.
So…we think that Mari will never forget this birthday.
We will send a little more later.
Hugs and Wags.
The Lowman Family
