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June 29, 2009

Parking Lot Observations

One evening, as I walked across the Alaska Highway and into Buckshot Betty's large, gravel parking lot, a red Dodge Grand Caravan with a Saskatchewan license plate pulled into the lot, headed in the same direction. Inside the vehicle was an older couple. The woman was driving and the man sat in the passenger seat. They were driving so slowly that we paced each other and arrived at the restaurant's entrance at the same time. The couple got out of the car, went inside, and looked at the menu to decide if they were going to eat there.

The next night, on my walk to the same place, a red Dodge Grand Caravan, this time with an Alberta license plate, pulled into the parking lot. With a cloud of dust, the van whizzed by me to the restaurant's entrance. The man stayed in the driver's seat and kept the engine running while the woman got out to look at the menu and decide if they were going to eat there. Only when she came back outside to suggest the restaurant would be suitable did the man turn off the van.

The two incidents stuck in my mind because they were remarkably similar, yet there were some profound differences. I began to wonder if the two couples in the vans were an apt analogy for some of the differences between Alberta and Saskatchewan. They're both prairie provinces, and yet they're governed in very different ways.

Now I'm keeping my eyes open for a minivan from BC.

2 comments:

Dr. Julie said...

The hybrid minivan from BC would drive at a moderate speed to get there, then the couple would get out of the car, go look at the menu, gripe that's everything on the menu is not "organic", and leave.

Unknown said...

minivans from BC never leave the nearest starbucks so you are safe