"The Littlest Birds"

If you don't know this song by the Be Good Tanya's, I'd recommend that you check it out. It is a peppy little ditty that gets stuck in your head and brightens your day. That being said, I'd have to disagree with the writers of this tune. While they contend that "the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs," these days I am far more apt to belt out "the littlest birds sing the loudest songs." The other night in the middle of the night, we heard a sound neither of us recognized. Later that day we realized what it was. Here's a link to the sound. Imagine hearing that in your tent at night. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzW-V5pte4Q
Later that same morning, we awoke to a bird that sounded just like Woody Woodpecker. We still haven't figured out what that was, but it was really funny. I never realized how many birds there were in the morning. (I know...no snide comments about my lack of seeing mornings please. :)) Some days it seems like they are almost in your tent, and boy are they loud. Getting used to hearing them has certainly been an adjustment, but sometimes they are really surprising and cool.
In the spirit of both new and flying things, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our excursion....please welcome Mr. Screen House. (Due to the slow speed of this connection, this introduction will have to be without pictures.) Given the tenacity of the mosquitoes here in BC, and our increasing frustration with attempting to eat while slapping ourselves and each other, we went today and purchased a screen house. Hopefully this addition will lead to more pleasant and less painful dining experiences.
This addition is also accompanied by a departure. Yesterday our cooler met its demise in a roadside, bear-proof trashcan. After realizing that we were spending way too much money on ice that was melting way too quickly, I began to eye up the cooler space for greater things. We now actually have storage space for almost all of our food, which is pretty exciting.
Tomorrow is one month on the road, and we feel like we have barely even started our trip. We've certainly covered a lot of miles (app. 3,300), but we are still seeking that rhythm of travel that has seemed fairly elusive so far. There have been so many variables, and no two days have been the same. That certainly has its good points and inherent difficulties, but I think we are beginning to get into more of a groove.
I was thinking today about the concept of home. We were in the store, and I said that I thought we had everything we needed, and I was ready to go home. And then I stopped and realized that I was referring to a 8x10 tent pitched in a backyard RV campground that we are going to move tomorrow, and I wondered if I had incorrectly used the term. Being on the road, we don't really have a home. (In fact, at one point I wanted to call this blog "happily homeless" because I liked the idea of leaving everything behind.) But the more I think about it, I am reminded of a time several years ago when I sat in my parent's living room with absolutely no responsibilities looking at a globe and realizing that I could literally live anywhere in the world that I wanted to. But when I spun the sphere of multicolored continents around, no matter where the ball stopped, the only thing I could think was that I wanted to live "with the person that I love" and that would be home. At the time I didn't know who that would be, but now that I do, and now I know where home is. Tonight it is outside Prince Rupert, BC, and tomorrow we're thinking it will be in Smither's Landing on Lake Babine (if we are fortunate enough to find a campsite there) where we plan to do some canoeing on BC's longest lake. And after that, we'll see. But for right now, I'm pretty sure wherever it is it will include some of the the littlest (and loudest) birds. :)