We are back in the USA after spending another day in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Â The show on Friday night was very well received by the community. Â When we left the theatre to check into the hotel, there was a small group having a private party there. Â They were also at the show. Â As Keith checked us in, I talked for a few minutes with the group. Â By the time we drove the rig around, the group had grown considerably and they were waiting for us to arrive. Â I spent a few minutes more talking and signing autographs. Â It was incredibly humbling to have so many people want to spend a few moments with us.
On Saturday morning, I made a visit to the Stan Cassidy Rehab Center to work with some of the clients there. Â I spent some time working with the therapists and Ethan and I worked individually with a variety of diagnoses – from spinal cord injuries to pediatric disorders. The 90 minute workshop went quickly. Â I hope it was as rewarding for the clients as it was for me. Â This is one of my favorite things to do when we have the opportunity. Â The DAILY GLEANER (local Fredericton newspaper) was there and will be running a story on Monday. Â Jeff Crawford, a local photographer, was also there to capture the magical moments. I’ll be able to share those with you once he has them posted on his site. Â I’m sure he captured some amazing faces as they performed their magic!
After the workshop, we went back to the hotel and quickly made our way to the town Farmer’s Market. Â It was going to close promptly at 1pm but we wanted to make the best of it. Â Food booths and craftsworkers were everywhere…and we sampled a lot of the food! Â Mini donuts, Indian pastries, deep fried sweet potatoes, and a lot more – delicious!
The weather started turning bad and by mid afternoon, it was raining fairly hard. Â We made our way back to the hotel just to relax for the rest of the day. Â In the early evening, Cindy and I went to dinner at the local Vietnamese restaurant across the street.
Today, we drove back across the border through Houlton, Maine. Â Passing through Canadian Customs was very easy. Â Getting through US Customs proved to be a bit more of a challenge. Â When I presented my paperwork to the officer, he questioned whether I had completed them properly. Â His supervisor came to the window and continued the questioning. Â She eventually said that I had the wrong forms, that I had exported our equipment into Canadian commerce and would need to hire a US broker to get it back into the country. Â I’m a stickler for details when it comes to this stuff so I knew this was not right. Â Eventually I was asked to park the rig and come inside.
Once inside, me and the supervisor had a little discussion about the difference between exporting equipment permanently and an E29B Temporary Allowance Form (the one I had completed and was processed by US Customs in Calais, ME only days before). Â After a couple of phone calls, she realized that I had in fact completed all the necessary paperwork, that everything was in order, and that she was wrong. She didn’t apologize for the 45 minute hold up but she did send back the original officer who had me complete one more piece of information before sending me on my way. Â Welcome home.