Mushing Mum

An Amazing January

2012-01-11T13:26:00.000-06:00

This January has been amazing. Most days are more like April than they are January. We haven't had much snow, but just being outside is wonderful.

My Family

2011-12-26T21:27:00.001-06:00

Christmas Evening and Morning

2011-12-26T16:37:00.002-06:00

Ready for Santa's visit

I am reading Alfie the Christmas Tree to the kids. This is the first year that I've had the book. Every other year for about the past 15 I have recited it.

Stockings on Christmas morning

and below all of my grandchildren in one room on Christmas afternoon. This is the first time.

The Hockey Tournament and Bonfire

2011-12-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

Mekhi and Kaden played hockey with the adults. Ireland played goalie with Stephanie. Cory said "Emma is an amazing hockey player." Hilary took the kids for rides on the quad. Keana saw the entire party from Megan's back and Amanda's back and was as good as gold. Dawson fell asleep briefly and almost had a bed in a sled. Brandee rescued kids tumbling from rock cliffs and snowball fights in the dark

Me, Clinton, Matt, Cameron and David hauled brush from one pile to the bonfire.

Siobhan, Me, Stephanie, Amanda, Pam, Cory, Cameron, David helped the little kids play hockey, or was it the other way around. Regardless, we made two great teams. Megan, Brandee, Dereck, Hilary and Dawson cheered from the sidelines.

Ryan and Candice lit Asian Lanterns and set them free in the night sky to drift until the little fires burned out.

And Megan said "I love you and thank u for organizing such an amazing Christmas!!!"

The quad (and the fire) were used for lighting

Mekhi

Hilary, Dawson, Dereck

Kaden, Brandee, Matt & Clinton

Cameron and Emma

Amanda, Mekhi, Stephanie & Kaden

Mekhi, David, and I can't tell who else

Emma's power move, Cameron has the puck

Cameron and David

Me and Cameron

Mekhi

Merry Christmas and thanks to everyone who has helped to make this a perfect Christmas these past few days… and Christmas hasn't even arrived yet. It is so nice having all my family and my friends around this year. You are all "THE BEST!"

The Ice Rink

2011-12-22T22:14:00.000-06:00

Another one of my articles
Preparation for the hockey tournament tomorrow night began the other day and the crew was in full force today.

The kids has a blast hauling brush for the fire, shovelling snow, and sliding on the ice. The dogs joined in on the fun and were not a problem running lose at all, which is a huge relief for me.

Tomorrow night, we have a hockey match between with most of the kids that my children grew up playing with. Hence the purpose of the ice rink.

Due to a shortage of skates and a lack of skill on some of our part, in skating, it may be a combo of boot hockey and ice hockey.

Matt found a "pirate treasure map" today and after we finished getting the rink ready, the kids had to search out the treasure.

Everyone had a great time. This winter is so amazingly warm and there is so little snow, playing with little kids, is easy.

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-12-21T21:50:00.001-06:00

We had all my grandchildren together and went out yesterday to chop down a Christmas tree.

Matt & Mekhi (left)

Me and Bentley (right)

Thomas in the back, (left to right) Ireland, Stephanie with Dawson, Bentley and Megan (Thomas')

Megan, Mekhi and Keana in the backpack

Kaden

Clinton and the tree

And the next day we decorated it.

Let The Holidays Begin

2011-12-20T09:19:00.000-06:00

For the first time in six years, all the kids are home this Christmas. Being a big of a Christmas Scrooge normally, this year I am totally excited. Stephanie, Matt, Kaden & Ireland arrived on Saturday, so did Hilary and Dawson, although. Thomas, Megan and Bentley yesterday and of course, Megan, Kellon, Mekhi and Keana live here year round, Clinton arrived last night (my adopted son? Yeah, that fits)

They are not all staying here, but regardless my house is small, and the weather is perfect this year, so we're spending a lot of time outside.

Yesterday we walked across the ice to the island for a little sliding. There isn't much snow, which meant that the bedrock hill was a little coarse and slippery for climbing.

When the kids were little, they found all sorts of hills like this where they would torture their bodies banging down bedrock. Looks like we're carrying it on to a second generation

I am loving this Christmas. Even the dogs are in on the fun.

My Week - Creative and Adventuresome

2011-12-14T16:28:00.000-06:00

My writing assignments for this week are linked below.

And now that hunting season is almost over and the ice is in, it's time to begin preparing Whisper and Kubbie for semi-retirement from dogsledding. This year, unless the trails are perfect, they will be exploring our trails as free running dogs and occasionally taking my grandchildren on adventures.

Whisper starts every journey at a 200m distance from Kubbie and I and refuses to come any closer.

The day that I took this photo, I'm pretty certain that he may have had a brief encounter with a wolf, although I can't be sure. His bark was totally different than I have ever heard, and when he returned, his hackles were raised and he stuck really closely to me the rest of the walk.

I love the picture. I think it's probably one of the best I've taken of him.

My assignments for this week.

Winter

2011-12-10T14:09:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure why it is that I love winter so much. I used to hate. I was always cold and therefore, it wasn't fun.

One winter, in the early 1990s, a group of friends, their young children and my family decided to play hockey at an outdoor rink, every Sunday afternoon. Before I knew it winter was over and I missed it tremendously.

At the close of winter the year I began dogsledding, I remember sobbing into my supper on the day that I put my sled away.

If you have followed my blogging history, you may have noticed that I get quite silent in the non-winter months. There just doesn't seem to be so much to share. Summer is summer, and we all live it and love it. What can I tell you about summer that you don't already know and love.

But winter... Winter is the gift that is hidden at the back corner of the Christmas and may go unnoticed until the day is over and everyone has gone home. It may get put away and forgotten for an entire year and no one will know what they missed.

We live on the earth for such a short time. It is a total waste to spend 6 months of the year confined to a small indoor space when the entire world is waiting to be explored.

Get the right clothes and if you don't they what they are, ask around, or ask me, because it's a pity to spend half your existence hiding life away in the box of Christmas ornaments.

Patterns In Nature

2011-12-09T20:46:00.001-06:00

All week I have been in awe... "Yirah" of the beauty in nature. The lake is freezing and there is almost no snow. Study the amazing patterns that the wind, cold and light snowfalls have painted on the water.

I LOVE WINTER - Trails, Forts and Foxtails

2011-12-09T13:31:00.001-06:00

The ice is in and solid. My semi-retired sled dogs and me, went out for a walk on the lake. I laughed so hard, they were just like Bambi on the, very lightly covered ice.

We also walked down the trail that I cleared and have maintained with the help of friends for many years now. There were a lot of windy days this past summer and my work has been cut out for me, as I have to "cut out" a lot of trees.

This one blown down tree will make a great fort, maybe even sleeping shelter, as soon as we get some snow.

...And, No this is not Kubbie's tail, but he found it. It's a foxes tail and I'm attempting to preserve it so that I can show my grandchildren when they all get here.

I'm either the coolest Granny or the most peculiar.

Taking A Risk

2011-12-08T19:43:00.001-06:00

Just a quick post. One of my "day" jobs is writing articles. Check it out, click the picture below

The articles in the "Dare Yourself" category are about personal growth, metaphorically explored through the unusual adventures that I find myself involved in. For now, this is my area of writing. Eventually, I'm sure that I'll be sharing this subject and I can do that, but I'm in no hurry. I have so much to say... no surprise there.

I'm loving this and if this is work, then I'm in heaven, because my fingers are merely an extension of my brain and voice. For those who know me well, the use of words is a strength of mine.

I think that I'm so lucky because I have the coolest life and there are so many lessons all around me. I like learning and I like sharing what I learn.

Writing for Tokii is an exciting, learning adventure.

I Love The Stage

2011-12-04T17:30:00.001-06:00

I don't think that I have mentioned the play.

After many years absence, I audition auditioned back in September for a part in the play "Anne of Green Gables", produced by TryLight Theatre Company. I was given a small part. Now, I have always said that I wouldn't do a small part. I have acted in many productions and when one considers the time involved, a small part just was never worth the time involved.

Regardless, I'd been absent from the theatre scene for years and so was pleased with the two stage scenes and 12 lines that I had as Mrs. Allen. It was a nice way to get back into the acting scene and to find out if my, much older brain, was able to memorize lines.

Up until opening night, I had decided that I wasn't going to do any more theatre after this production. Then I got on stage…

Yeah, I love it. It was great. I love the people I performed with, I loved the costumes and I loves the heat of the lights and the dark void where the unseen audience is.

Next fall, I'll be auditioning again and I'm going for a bigger part. The brain is just going to have to step up to the plate.

Having said that… back stage can be boring after seven productions.

I Dressed Her And Had Her For Dinner

2011-11-28T18:53:00.001-06:00

Honey garlic venison and sweet fried potatoes, with a side of carrots, beans and Single Malt Scotch. My own recipe, created just for the occasion.

The rose in the background is from Lynda, who directed the play, Anne of Green Gables, that I am in. It is running this week.

Tonight is the only night that I am home.

I took advantage of that time to have Bambi's mother to dinner.

(Sorry Cheryl, it's just too easy to get my shots in… oh my but I'm amusing tonight.)

Hunting For Fitness

2011-11-26T13:17:00.001-06:00

I've run marathons, cycled long distance and dozens of other things for fitness, but honestly today was perhaps one of the most strenuous workouts yet.

I spent the entire morning, carrying 7lbs of gun, while wearing 6 lbs of boots, in a highly inflexible pair of insulated overalls, while walking through 3 inches of fresh wet snow over uneven ground, and up and down steep, slippery hills.

The doe lead us on a merry chase. (Not either of these in the photo) We split up and attempted to move her around to a place where I could get a shot.

In fairness, I did get three shots and missed, and screwed up twice more. Once, I missed her tracks and walked way far from where I needed to be and the other time, she was pushed out of the bush just behind me and I didn't see her in spite of her being within probably 100 feet or less of me.

If I'd had a scope, I probably would have got her on at least one of the first three shots.

However, back to fitness, hunting is an amazing workout... and the real work begins after you get the deer and have to bring it home.

Now before you look at the picture and get after me about hunting, keep in mind that there has been a population explosion in the white tail deer herds of Northwestern Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan. Auto and deer collisions have a huge impact on public safety and insurance claims, wolves are moving into human populated areas because the deer herds are very high and the deer complacent. And I have spent hours and hours out hunting and I still don't have my deer.

Feeling Rather Proud

2011-11-24T15:45:00.001-06:00

You might have to click on the image to see this, but I'm am very proud.

I purchased my Browning blr .270wsm last Thursday. It has open sights, as I didn't have the money to buy a scope too.

It needed to be sighted. I asked for advice on how to do this. I also downloaded the manual for the gun and printed out the directions.

Today, I went to the gravel pit and set up this target.

I was 40 paces away and the inch circle of pink nail polish in the centre of the bulls eye was almost invisible.

As I can't find my binoculars, so I had to walk to it after each shot. It took a total of 8 shots to get it right.

The three in the target were the final four shots (I messed up and turned the screw the wrong way for shot #6 and that was way off). The final shot being the tiny hole just to the upper right of the nail polish.

I'm feeling rather proud, that I was able to do this. My should is a little tender, but I still had time to do a little watching for deer before I had to come home. I didn't see any though. I was a little relieved because I will have to dress it, haul and hang all immediately after shooting it and today I didn't really have time to process all that I have been told about doing that.

My New Gun

2011-11-17T17:36:00.001-06:00

Last year I took up hunting. I got a small game license and had a few meals of partridge and even got myself two rabbits.

I bought the gun on the top of this picture at that time. It's a Mossberg .410.

After saving up for a little while and doing lots of research, today I purchased a Browning blr .270wsm, lever action, open sights. It's a nice fit and without a scope, the weight is very manageable.

I have a buck and a doe tag. Time to even the score for my car.

A Review Of My Work

2011-11-16T16:02:00.001-06:00

I've always written. I kept a diary for over twenty years (although I stopped that in my early 30s).

I used to say I was the champion of the opening paragraph. I've started so many books that if there were a market for nothing but opening paragraphs, I'd be world renowned.

Once I managed to research and write 52 pages of a non-fiction book on the history of women's spirituality. In the end I learned so much that decided I didn't believe in my original premise. That particular work has a special place on my hard drive.

Of course, I did successfully complete "Who Has Time For A Novel; 365 1/2 Short Stories" and I am researching what my options are for that material.

Today, though was a special day, because I read a woman's blog, in which she specifically reviewed some the material that I wrote for "Tokii Couples". Even though my name isn't mentioned in the review, and what she is really reviewing is my material on the site, it's a special thrill to know that after all the words that I have written and spoken, someone is treating them with value.

Very cool. Go check out her blog, Mommy Travels, while I go back to patting myself on the back.

Write A Soldier

2011-11-12T08:34:00.001-06:00

Jeanne sent me a note recently to let me know that some of the addresses for writing soldiers have changed for the Department of Defence (Canada).

I confess that I haven't written in a very long time, but with Christmas approaching, a card is a good way of tangibly telling our soldiers that we do support them.

Here is the most recent list on the Write a Soldier.

OP ATTENTION and ARCHER - Kabul, Afghanistan

RANK NAME INT
SECTION/UNIT
CAMP …...(name of camp)
KABUL
PO BOX 5140 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP CALUMET - Sinai, Egypte

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
UNIT/SECTION
CCMFO
PO BOX 5237 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP GLADIUS - Golan Heights

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
UNIT/SECTION
OP GLADIUS
PO BOX 5238 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP HAMLET - Port-au-Prince, Haïti

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
UNIT/SECTION
OP HAMLET
PO BOX 5250 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP JADE - Middle East

RANK INIT NAME
UNIT/SECTION
OP JADE
PO BOX 5239 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP JAGUAR - Jamaica

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
OP JAGUAR
PO BOX 5222 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP KOBOLD - Pristina, Kosovo

RANK INIT NAME
UNIT/SECTION
CANADIAN CONTINGENT PRISTINA
PO BOX 5249 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP PROTEUS - Jerusalem

RANK INIT NAME
UNIT/SECTION
OP PROTEUS
PO BOX 5240 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OPS SATURN and SAFARI - Sudan

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
UNIT/SECTION
OP SATURN - SAFARI
PO BOX 5225 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP SCULPTURE - Sierra Leone

NAME RANK INIT
UNIT/SECTION
OP SCULPTURE
PO BOX 5201 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

OP SNOWGOOSE - Cyprus

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
UNIT/SECTION
OP SNOWGOOSE
PO BOX 5051 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

Strategic Line of Communication (SLOC) Detachment - Kuwait

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
SLOC Det Kuwait
PO BOX 5006 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

CFS Alert

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
UNIT/SECTION
CFS Alert
PO BOX 5210 STN FORCES
BELLEVILLE ON K8N 5W6

Canadian Ships

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
MESS #/SECTION
NAME OF THE SHIP
PO BOX 17000 STN FORCES
VICTORIA BC V9A 7N2

RANK/INITIALS/NAME
MESS #/SECTION
NAME OF THE SHIP
PO BOX 99000 STN FORCES
HALIFAX NS B3K 5X5

My Writing Career

2011-11-11T15:27:00.001-06:00

Some of you may remember that I spent 365 days writing a short story every day. For those who have forgotten, I'll refresh your memory.

I have always made up stories about random scenes that I see on the street. As part of some kind of personal challenge, I decided that I could write a story per day, for one year and blog it, as an alternative to just storing it in my head.

The blog is no longer available to the public because I'm organizing my stories for future use. However, by request I can give you access…

But that's really another story.

Today, I'm writing about my new writing job.

A long-time friend, Karla approached me to join the writing team, for her company, Tokii.

Primarily, Tokii is a site to assist in helping improve communication between couples (married, common-in-law and dating, although not strictly limited to couples, as friends can join as well.) It's free to join.

I'm loving writing for Tokii.

My portfolio of writing is the Military content and the upcoming Prostate cancer materials. I've also spent some time working in a few of the other writing areas.

I like the work and I like the focus. Anything that can improve communication between two people, I am totally in favour of.

I'll keep you posted. This is a slightly different type of adventure than I've embarked on in the past, and I'm not sure how much it has to do with Mushing… but one thing I can say, life is always fun.

A Beautiful Irony… Well Maybe Not Beautiful

2011-10-12T20:50:00.000-05:00

I purchased a hunting deer tag this year. I wasn't aware that I needed to purchase a tag, specifically for "antlerless" deer. My tag is only good for a buck and there are far fewer bucks than there are doe.

I was driving to town earlier than necessary today, in order to stop at Service Ontario and purchase the doe tag. I was in town, driving the speed limit of 50km per hour, when a running doe, leapt directly in front of my car. There was no time to brake, it was instant impact.

The damages include the front grill, bumper, hood, drivers side fender and door, all the lights on the drivers side, possibly some suspension issues and may be leaking fuel.

I guess the deer has a few issues as well, but she's pretty silent on the topic.

Oddly enough, I was in Saskatoon visiting Stephanie and her family this past weekend. On the way home, yesterday, driving Megan's car a large buck bolted out onto the highway and had I not accelerated, I certainly would have impacted it.

I dodged fate yesterday, but it caught up to me today.

The New Solar Array

2011-10-12T20:46:00.000-05:00

Last year, the neighbourhood worked together to try and bring hydro electricity to our homes and camps on the lake. The price was prohibitive.

Instead, this year with a help tremendous amount of help from my neighbours, I moved my 8 solar panels to a new pole mount and added 4 more.

Earlier this summer, we drilled the mount to bedrock. And the new pole was put in place.

There were a few minor glitches that are stories unto themselves, suffice to say that we learn that on a hot day, epoxy sets far quicker than one would imagine and as such, I got more experienced at drilling holes into the bedrock.

The pole has been standing for sometime now, waiting for other more time sensitive jobs to be completed. However, this past weekend, while I was away in Saskatoon, my friends came and did all the work that needed stronger, more specialize training than I have and I now have a beautiful new 21 amp solar array to hopefully save me generator running hours.

With this addition and the thermostat being lowered to a ridiculous level, I'm hoping to have a much smaller carbon footprint this winter.

Thanks David, Ryan, Justin, Ali, Siobhan and anyone else that I may have missed. I really appreciate the support.

One Expensive Partridge

2011-10-02T07:57:00.001-05:00

I ventured further afield to try and improve my stats against the partridge. I drove up the Minaki Hwy (which is under construction) to hunt near Catastrophe Lake, how very fitting. I was about 30 seconds from the road I was going to hunt along, when a large rock from the road, smashed up and hit the windows.

So one bird perished for my diet and one windshield for my recreation.

Partridge 2 / Susan 0

2011-09-21T20:09:00.001-05:00

Partridge season opened last week.

I've made it out twice and aside from startling a bird tonight and seeing one scoot across the road, too far away and too dark, I am not doing so well.

Stay tuned, I also have a deer tag this year.

Flying Tour Over Lake of the Woods

2011-08-03T11:53:00.008-05:00

I live in paradise. It's where people come to spend the best days of their lives. I'm so lucky to live here every day of the year. I can easily say, that if I could never travel anywhere else in the world, but had to live my entire life within these few hundred square miles, my life would still be richer than I could possibly imagine.

Here in Kenora/Keewatin we are fortunate enough to do, after a normal workday, the kind of things that people plan all year long to do on their vacation.

At a wedding social for Ryan and Candice, I won a scenic flying tour from River Air and today I took some special guests on a tour of Lake of the Woods and Middle Lake. James Hendy was our pilot. He was great, very considerate of our needs and nice to the kids. I will post the photos from our ground crew when I get them.

The plane with the door opened is the plane that we flew in, a DeHavilland Beaver.

Mekhi (landing)

Ireland (landing)

Keeawtin, ON

Kaden & Mekhi (landing)

Kenora, ON

Lake of the Woods, ON

Mekhi (just after take off)

Mekhi & Ireland

Kaden & Mekhi

When I had a boat, I used to take it to this area between Clearwater Bay and Ptarmigan Bay.

I took some of my best photos here.

Stephanie has one hanging on her wall.

Yvette

Kellon

Mekhi

Kaden

Ireland

My house that I build myself.

Everything you see and more in this photo, I am fortunate enough to call my home.

This photo is for my friend, Klaus. He enjoyed many summers here on Middle Lake.

This photo was actually on take off. I love the looks on their faces.

And the family (ground crew) waiting for our safe return.

Geocaching

2011-05-30T12:03:00.000-05:00

I've considered trying geocaching for years now, but never quite got around to it. Hilary has a friend who is an avid geocacher and Hilary wanted to try.

On Sunday we all met and went out to Emerson Lake.

The trail was easy, as it was the old TransCanada Hwy. For most of it we pulled a wagon with two kids in it.

Hilary brought Dawson in the snugglie. It was a really nice way to spend four hours on a Sunday morning.

Some people arrived after us, started a fire and made hotdogs.

What a great idea!!! On the way home, we stopped and bought hotdogs and buns. Then we invited Megan and the kids out and had our own wiener roast.

Mekhi and I gathered the birch bark for starting the fire and also visited some of the "fairy places" around the house. Then we tried to find things in the clouds. I'm not sure that Mekhi really understood the concept but he did see a bird. (a real one that is)

It was a beautiful day.

New Leaves

2011-05-11T11:22:00.000-05:00

This post is for Klaus and Helga in Germany. I wanted you to be able to enjoy springtime on Middle Lake.

Although today is overcast, it is a special day because it is only the second day that I have seen new leaves on the trees (I noticed late last evening). The green of new leaves is one of my favourite colours and this is one of my special times of year.

I took my camera out and the first thing I saw was this eagle was flying some dried, wild rice stalks to its nest on the other shore. It's not a great picture, but it is a view I see from my front window several times a day. Eagles nest on this lake and we often see small groups of them playing in the winds.

The Shawl - A Family Tradition

2011-05-10T11:43:00.001-05:00

In 1982 I was down in Disneyland and saw, what was, at the time, a very stylish cape. I fell in love with it, but the $40.00 price was rather steep for our budget. My husband at that time, gave me the his approval to go ahead and spend the money to purchase it.

For the duration of our vacation, and for many, many years after, I felt tremendously guilt over the unnecessary expense.

Little did I realize that the cape would become such a cherished part of every family vacation, campfire, outing on the lake and chilly evening on the couch. Even more, it wasn't just my family who took comfort in its warmth. Pretty much very child that passed through my house was at some point or other wrapped in it, plus their parents.

A couple of years ago, Stephanie stole the cape and began wrapping her children up in it and its memories. (Stephanie and Kaden in the original cape)

I had another shawl made for me by my good friend, Dawn, that had gradually replaced my cape when a more up-to-date fashion seemed appropriate or when one of my kids had snagged my old one. When Megan objected to the theft of the original, I honoured her with the soft warmth of my new shawl. This left me without one and with another daughter and a daughter-in-law who had children that would require a cozy place to snuggle.

Thus after finishing the kilt hoses last fall, rather than starting a project for myself I began knitting shawls for Hilary and Thomas' wife, Megan. I completed those right around Christmas and began thinking about what I could do for myself.

The new shawl, my shawl, was carefully selected for its stitches and wool and I began working on it in January.

The thing about knitting is that it always seems that one day in the springtime, knitting projects just get set aside. This shawl had to be completed before that unknown date in order that it could begin storing up memories. I completed the shawl about a month ago. It has already been my comfort while sipping tea on the front porch, it has wrapped me and my grandchildren on the couch and embraced Dawson, the newest family member, within hours of his birth.

Although shawls are not really stylish, they are irreplaceable in my family, just like a baby's blankie.

Every time I wrap my shawl around me, I wrap myself in all my memories, good and bad and in those that still await me. I can't think of a more comfortable place to be.
(Keep watching, I'm sure there will be pictures of my shawl in action)

Dawson David

2011-04-30T09:15:00.002-05:00

"Finally." A new post. My silence has been deafening (or has it?)

Good news. Grandchild #6 arrived into the world after a beautiful home birth, surrounded by friends and family. 9lbs 6 oz, 20.75 inches long

Hilary and Dawson

Dawson

Dawson & his cousin, Keana (she was present for his birth)

Me and Dawson

Welcome Dawson (named for Dawson City, Yukon). I will write more soon, but for now, a picture is worth...

Loose Dogs

2011-03-07T13:18:00.000-06:00

As many of you may recall, I have ranted about people walking their dogs off leash.

It is incredibly annoying meeting up with people who feel they have the right to interfere with other people's enjoyable dogsled journeys, by letting their unruly, loose dog interfere with a well ordered dog team.

Well, it happened today, there I am letting my dogs run loose on the lake and low and behold, someone down the lake is skiing and their dog is not on a leash.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!!!

Anyway, being equally guilty, I turned around and headed back to the house, desperately hoping my dogs didn't see it and take off down the lake, leaving me to sheepishly follow along and apologize for disturbing their ski.

As luck would have it, Whisper was already distracted by a dead animal bone on the shoreline and Kubbie was more focused on stopping to pick ice balls out of his paws. We made it back home completely uneventfully.

I'm not sure it will do much good, but I think in future, since the warmer weather brings people out onto the lake, I'd better walk with a couple of leashes, or plan on long hikes, breaking through unpacked crusted snow on the lake.

Shifting Gears

2011-03-06T17:43:00.000-06:00

I've never had a habit of free running the dogs. We have a lot of deer in the area and also a cattle farm. With that and the highway so close, my dogs have really only exercised while in harness or on a leash.

This year has been horrid for dogsledding. We've had a ton of snow and not that many snowmachines packing the lake trails. With the loss of Cheyenne, Kubbie and Whisper have had to work side-by-side. Whisper has always been one to test the boundaries, but running in wheel, he had no choice but to tow-the-line.

Now both dogs run in lead and a combination of snow, weather and dog determination, we're just not having a good year.

Yesterday was the third or fourth disaster in a row and I think we're all getting frustrated. At least for this year, it may be time to shift gears.

Today I took both dogs out at the same time to run freely on the ice. I took dog biscuits and we played tag together. It went really well. I noticed that the collie in Kubbie comes out and he tries to herd Whisper, which is similar to herding cats or two year olds.

We all had fun and I think I'm going to do it every day before I feed them. (It's easier to get them back in the yard if they know supper is waiting.

Hopefully the snow on the ice will develop a better crust soon and that next year we have a better winter. I'm not quite ready to give up yet, I hope they aren't either.

A Spy Movie Come To Life

2011-02-03T11:46:00.001-06:00

I have an iphone. It is totally cool. While out dogsledding today I sent a text to my family via the Beluga App. I did it over 3G, but Beluga works over your iphone wireless connection when you have one AND doesn't use up your text minutes.

The other very cool thing is that if you set it to do so, it can tell the people you are texting where you are for each text.

Now I'll grant that the slightly paranoid will see this as a bad thing, but imagine I broke my leg out in the bush somewhere and I had to describe where I was to EMS. That would be a trick. Instead I send a Beluga text to my POD and they can make sure that I'm rescued in a timely manner.

Obviously I need a cell tower to send the text. Anyone know the answer to this question? If there is no cell tower, does the cell phones gps function still work? I can test it out, simply by driving 10 minutes north of my house.

I think I'll do that.

(ps: this is just a picture of the screen from Beluga, I used my iphone to take a screen picture, saved it to my computer and presto, this is it.... Isn't my Iphone cool?)

Whisper - My Bad Boy

2011-01-28T23:39:00.000-06:00

Whisper is just plain a bad boy. He's such a loveable dog, but man he could drive you right to the edge of tolerance.

It was his turn to have a go at free running. No sooner is he off the chain and he's missing. I walk to the lake, hoping that he'll follow me. Not a chance, so I headed back to the house, found him sniffing out a small animal home and patiently worked at getting him down to the lake. Once we were there the deep snow soon tired him out and he at least stayed close.

When we got back home, he was happy to go into the dog yard. It might have been that his supper was waiting for him, but at least that part went easily.

I love my Iphone, it makes a trip out on the lake so much simpilier.

It's Not Like The Old Days

2011-01-24T17:08:00.002-06:00

Kubbie gets tired easily without a team assisting him and Whisper has ADHD. There is simply too much snow and no one snowmachining and packing my trails.

It is however, GREAT exercise for me, since I'm having to kick harder than I've ever had to in the past. Let's hope the snow quits falling for a while and the trails improve.

Free Running At Night

2011-01-23T19:18:00.000-06:00

I don't generally free run the dogs. We have way too many deer around here and also the Trans-Canada Hwy is not far. We lost a dog many years ago that way. This year however, we've had a ton of snow and there are very few snowmachines on my lake. The trails are loose and deep and with only two dogs now, it's just been way to hard to them to pull a sled through.

Tonight I decided to try free running on the lake. I figured that there are few deer out at night on the lake and the very deep snow would slow the chase. I took Kubbie because he listens best. It was hard going for him and he stayed very close. I think tomorrow night I may give Whisper a turn. This may, increasingly, be our new way of relating, I better start training them for the experience.

A Beautiful Afternoon On The Lake

2011-01-23T08:36:00.000-06:00

Even though yesterday started at -27C and didn't get warmer than -19C according to my thermometer, it was still a beautiful day on the lake.

And You Wonder Why

2011-01-19T15:47:00.005-06:00

And people wonder why Northern Ontario isn't so thrilled to be part of Ontario sometimes. Once I told a very smart guy I was moving to Kenora and his reply was, "oh the Ottawa valley is beautiful."

Please, get to know your geography.

And now yesterday's CBC story

Freezing rain expected across Ontario

Much of Ontario will get light snow and then freezing rain Tuesday morning that will require motorists to drive cautiously, according to Environment Canada.

The storm moving up from the United States is expected to track eastward from Windsor, to Niagara Falls, to the Toronto area, then north to Algonquin Park and east to Ottawa.

Shouldn't that read that most of Ontario ISN'T getting freezing rain?

Please, get to know your geography.

My New Television + High Learning Curve

2011-01-10T20:13:00.001-06:00

I'm not fond of televisions or rather TV shows in general and throughout my life there have been long periods in which I didn't have a TV. My objections have largely been focused around how televisions take over your room, your home and your life. They tell you where you are going to put your sofa and they manage your personal schedule. Long before they exists, I said that a tv should have no more presence in your home than a piece of art on the wall. You look at it from time to time, but it dictates your life. I have finally achieved what I've always wanted. My television adorns an space of wall above my stairs, above the railing. It is viewed from my sitting room.

Now the problem is how to view things on my new television. What I really desire is wireless tv channels, streaming live CBC broadcasts without any cables. Apparently, we're not there yet.

Today I received my "mini-display port" connector for my Mac, unfortunately, I didn't read the system requirements and although I can watch video, the audio function is not compatible with my MacBook. I learned this after a mildly frustrating evening reading manuals, restarting the computer, checking system settings and finally calling Apple Care.

Fortunately, I remembered that I have a Minto wireless sound system. I plugged in the wireless device, set the "audio" settings on my Mac (not until after I searched on the web to find out what I should have simply known) and presto ... sound.

Keana Nichole Margaret Carter

2011-01-08T10:00:00.003-06:00

Keana Nichole Margaret Carter

Isn't she pretty. I haven't seen her yet as I am banned from the hospital due to a nasty cold. As soon as the drugs conceal the symptoms I'm sneaking in.

Mekhi meeting his little sister.

Photos by Stephanie Evenden

Winter, The Best Time Of Year

2011-01-03T17:50:00.002-06:00

I took up dogsledding for a couple of reasons. One being that I could not walk the dogs easily on a leash, but after the first time I hooked Whisper to a sled, I realized that it would be a blast to take my future grandchildren out. Well, this winter, after having spent years borrowing other people's children, I finally get to take out my grandkids.

The above picture is Kaden, my eldest grandson, helping me drive the sled and the one on the right is Hilary & her unborn son, Dawson, driving the sled

There is a ton of snow this year and with three of my four children being here for the Christmas season, we are getting a great deal of time outside. I wish that Thomas, Megan and Bentley could be joining us, but perhaps that is for another year.

Ireland enjoyed her time outside, but when it's time to go, it's time to go, as is evident by the look on her face.

We spent some time playing on the lake and then came back up to the house and did some sliding down my driveway. None of us were aware that Kellon had never been sliding before, until after Hilary pushed his sled down the drive before he was completely prepared. As you can see from the pictures, the boys played on, long after the girls came indoors.

And the kids followed it all up with a quiet movie after supper, while the adults ate.

New Years Eve

2011-01-03T16:57:00.000-06:00

In spite of my attempts at accurate weather prediction, New Years Eve was a major snow storm. I was DD for a party up in Reddit, ON.

Hilary joined me for a portion of the evening and curled for, I think, her first time. It was my second time. The technique is obviously not flawless. We were told the ice was NOT normal curling ice and had only gone in the day before, hence the very pebbled surface of this basically outdoor, sheltered curling club.

I had a great time though, curling in the bonspiel and playing euchre until extremely late.

The drive home was less than fun and took far longer than normal. My New Years Eve ended with me arriving home at 3:30 and still having to finish my laundry.

A Sliding Day With Granny

2010-12-29T20:43:00.003-06:00

We had a day of sliding and snowmachining at my house. The pictures below say more than all the words I could write. A big thank you to my neighbour for bringing the snowmachine over so that we could all go for rides after the sliding.

Granny (me) & Kaden (Megan & Mekhi walking)

8.5 month pregnant Megan & Mekhi

Ireland

More Granny & Kaden

5.5 month pregnant Hilary

Nothing like a good belly laugh

8.5 month pregnant Megan sliding (on her belly no less, poor Keana)

Stephanie & Ireland

Hilary and Ireland

Getting Megan and Mekhi ready to go

Granny (that would be me) & Mekhi

Matt & Kaden

Ireland & Mekhi

Matt & Ireland

Every Girls Dream Christmas

2010-12-27T19:43:00.000-06:00

Isn't she a beauty? Up until now, I have spent endless hours clearing brush with a pair of loppers, brush axe and hand saw, not anymore.

Today was a neighbourhood work project, brushing out along the road. Normally, I would be relegated to moving the cut brush off the road, but again... not anymore. I came equipped with my own chainsaw and cut down my fair share of trees.

The first hour, I got tired pretty quickly, but I think that was because I was tense. After lunch, I was much more relaxed with it and managed to cut trees all afternoon.

The road needs at least another days work, but it is a huge improvement.

Oops - Tonight Is Solstice

2010-12-21T18:55:00.001-06:00

Now how did I make that mistake. Tonight is the Winter Solstice. Guess I better strap on my snowshoes and head outside. It's a beautifully, bright night.

See you later, everyone.

Solstice Snowshoeing

2010-12-20T18:55:00.001-06:00

It is the longest night of the year, but not the darkest. There is a beautiful full moon. Having taken the dogs out sledding this morning, I went out just as it was getting dark and strapped on my snowshoes. My trail is half opened and I wanted to get the other half done.

I couldn't see any of my trail markers on the unbroken portion, but I am now so familiar with the bush I was able to break it open in the dark and even when I had to go around several large fallen trees, I knew exactly where I was and got easily back onto my regular trail.

The good thing about snowshoeing is that it is difficult to get lost on a clear, calm night. There is a very distinct track left behind that makes it easy to find your way home.

(For those night people there is a total eclipse tonight at 1:40am)

Happy Solstice everyone, from here on in, the days get longer.

Beginning To Feel Like Christmas

2010-12-18T20:32:00.002-06:00

With the fresh snow and now only having two dogs on the team, the dogsledding has been a bit sluggish. I'm anticipating that once my trails are packed it will improve, but that didn't stop Mekhi and me from heading outside tonight.

I'm babysitting him overnight. I tried pulling him on this little toboggan at first, but it's pretty small and he couldn't hold on with his big mitts on. Not to mention that he was less than thrilled with it.

I was apprehensive about harnessing up the dogs for the short trip to the tree I had selected, but there seemed no other alternative. They didn't seem to mind the short, but very difficult trip. The picture below is pretty poor quality, but you can see the tree being dragged behind.

While we decorated the tree, we were on webcam with Kaden and Ireland. Mekhi showed them every ball that he put on the tree. Each in exactly the same spot as the previous one. It is a good thing I was moving them to new places on the tree.

Climbing Photos

2010-12-07T16:00:00.000-06:00

They're not very dramatic but I'm using the 10 second timed exposure. It's pretty difficult to get set up for anything dramatic in that length of time.

More Rock Holds

2010-12-04T17:24:00.002-06:00

My fingers are definitely sore. When I get in the hot tub, the hot water stings all the tiny cuts from the abrasive rock. Next time I must remember to bring my helmet and maybe purchase a crash mat.

For Cheryl

2010-12-03T16:44:00.002-06:00

Although these are domestic horses, they are roaming freely on the desert where we hike and I have been bouldering.

I think this particular horse is the MOST beautiful horse I have ever seen in my life. (click image for larger views)

Note in this picture Laurence is running past the horses.

Toying With Bouldering

2010-12-03T16:28:00.007-06:00

There is a video below, but really isn't very dramatic.

I'm not a fan of falling and hurting myself, but without a climbing partner I'm restricted to the gym for climbing, or bouldering.

Since I didn't bring my helmet than I really can't do to much risky vertical climbing, but I can traverse.

Therefore I've scouted out a couple of rocks that I can practice on. These are an assortment of hand and footholds on the first boulder I have been working on.

Tomorrow I plan to try out a different one for variety.

The rock here is extremely coarse and hard on the skin, especially since I haven't been climbing for so long that my fingers are soft.

Plus it tends to be made up of composite materials and small holds that look promising will often break off in your hand or under the pressure of your feet.

My goal was simply to move back and forth across this rock face with some degree of elegance. Who knows maybe as my confidence grows maybe I'll get hooked on bouldering.

Amazing, It's Amazing Grace

2010-11-22T21:44:00.023-06:00

Okay, it's hardly brilliantly performed and I know that the high A is a tad flat, but all things considered, I am starting to feel like maybe, just maybe, I will be able to play the bagpipes one day.

I am also able to play parts of "McPherson's Lament", "High Road To Garloch" and "Farewell to Camrae".

It's a lovely view of my desk too. I taped this several times, which in itself is a huge success because normally I can only play it well once through and this was the 7th or 8th take, but it was only on the 2nd last take that I noticed I wasn't in the video. The last take was bad.

Life In The North

2010-11-21T10:28:00.000-06:00

As I drove in my road yesterday, I was greeted by this sight. This is a young bald eagle. I'm guessing that it might even be one of this years, based on the colouring.

First Run Of The Season

2010-11-19T10:55:00.000-06:00

The boys did okay. Whisper was a little confused at first with being hooked up beside Kubbie, rather than behind, but we completed 40 minutes on the road. Even though they are out of shape, the hills didn't wipe them out, although I did have to walk. Coming back down the hills was great fun and I even had to use the drag mat on the "big hill".

Much as I'm not looking forward to driving into town now, I LOVE WINTER!

Merry Christmas Bentley

2010-11-18T19:21:00.000-06:00

When Thomas was a baby I only put "Tom" on his stocking. Megan's name fit no problem. Stephanie because "Steph" and Hilary was a squeeze. Kaden worked fine, Ireland was really tough, Mekhi no problem.

With Bentley I was tempted to misspell his name and oops on the last "e", but with some creative adjustment to the letters it sort of works.

I actually kind of like the artsy look it has.

Remembrance Day Thoughts

2010-11-11T16:45:00.003-06:00

I engaged in a Facebook discussion today. I'd like to share my thoughts here.

Every soldier prays for peace. Every member of a military family hopes that their loved once will not have to go to war.

Remembrance Day is not about glorifying war, it's about telling those who have fought so that we in this country and those in other countries can have the freedoms that we have, that we appreciate the price they paid.

My Grandfather gave up two families and 6 years of his children's lives.

Today at the Legion, I spoke with a WWII Veteran, he was a gentle man, who was amongst the last of his generations heros. I was proud to honour what he gave up, so that you and I can have the good life that we do.

They go today where they are asked, because they too believe in the mission. Ask her why she serves. Ask him if he believes that he is trying to make a difference in the lives of innocent people in a foreign country.

Did our silence in Rwanda make the lives of those who suffered there worthwhile?

Our actions in Bosnia did make a difference.

It's easy to sit here, when you are not looking into the eyes of the young boys sexually abused by a long outdated code of ethics or of young girls with acid thrown in their faces and question why we are there. It is not so easy for those who have been there and seen these things to turn their backs.

For better or worse, we are there. Do we walk away and leave those people to suffer? Were we right to ignore those in Rwanda or to offer lip service to those in Darfur and countless other places because the powers in their countries do not believe in peace. If we use only words, will we save even one life?

Peace is a noble goal, but with rare exception, war mongers do not give up the ways of war without being forced to.

Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, Pot Pol, Mao Zedong, Jajaweed, Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Juvénal Habyarimana.

Be thankful that Canadian soldiers have stood firm throughout our history. They have given you the freedom to question the sacrifices they made.

This is ONE day. Tomorrow you can argue if we are right to be there. For today? Honour their sacrifice or be silent.

The Tricycle Revisted

2010-11-09T12:22:00.001-06:00

I pulled out the tricycle yesterday to have a test run with the dogs in their new set up.

Whisper was his usual easily distractible self. Kubbie managed to generally keep Whisper somewhat in line.

The tricycle is just as frightening as it was before. It's great on the level stretches but can be very unnerving on the downhill sections.

A Strange Coincidence

2010-11-07T20:59:00.000-06:00

I got Cheyenne from Bev about 5 years ago. She sent me this Facebook message tonight.

I'm not a hugely spiritual person, but this seems like an awfully strange coincidence. I copied it here so that I'd always have it in a place I could find it.

The message read:

"So sorry to hear about Cheyenne. I haven't checked your blog in months and tonight I just did and was very saddened by the news. Thank you so much for all the great years you gave her."

Thanks Bev for sending Cheyenne to be part of our team.

My Playmates

2010-11-07T12:39:00.005-06:00

At the end of the first winter of dogsledding, I remember sitting at the dinner table crying into my supper because the season was over and I couldn't go dogsledding until the following winter.

A couple of years later, when I broke my sled, towards the end of the season and I thought it was going to cut the season short, I came home and cried into my coffee.

When Chinook died two years ago, I cried every time we went out until we had gone down each trail without her at least once.

Last year when I thought I was going to have to give them away, I cried for weeks.

And here I am crying again.

We're back to the same team we started with, Kubbie, Whisper and me, only back then we were beginning a whole new adventure and it was so much fun. (Image taken February 2004)

Gradually now, we're ending the adventure and it just seems so sad. I could get more dogs, but that isn't practical and with family all across the country, a dog team just doesn't fit in well and more importantly, they're not "my boys"(even if two of my four "boys" were girls) so it wouldn't make me feel any better today.

Kubbie doesn't seem to notice my moods so much, but Whisper sure is good about letting me ball my eyes out into his fur.

They've been my best playmates for years!

Perhaps some understanding can be gained from this old blog post: reflection: the mystery of mushing

Cheyenne

2010-11-06T12:02:00.000-05:00

This is how I knew her best.

I've noticed over the past year that Cheyenne has shown small signs of aging. This past few days she has been eating fine, but was constipated. The vet gave me some standard advice, but I wasn't really concerned because during a walk yesterday, she seemed her usual self.

I have been expecting that she was aging and would begin showing signs of decline soon. I even expected that it was likely that this year she may not have done well running in the team. However, none of that had happened yet.

This morning I went down to the yard and Cheyenne had died during the night. I was caught by surprise because aside from the constipation and some lethargy that had been increasing for the past year, there was nothing to suggest that she was ill.

Cheyenne was a good team player, although she was also good at making it appear that her line was tight and letting Whisper do the work. Probably, her best role on the team was making sure that Whisper behaved himself and didn't stop to smell the deer pee.

It took me several years to warm up to her, which is probably because her first time in the team she got into a fight with Whisper and I got bit, but over the years she has worked her way into my heart.

She will be missed.

My 50th Birthday

2010-10-25T09:25:00.000-05:00

The big 50 and let me tell you, I took advantage of all the birthday parties I have not bothered with over the years and celebrated this one in a HUGE way.

I started with supper with Laurence, Lin and Ted Carey on the actual birthday.

Thursday I went to Winnipeg and visited with my friend Dawn and also stopped in at Eve Studios for a sitting, they specialize in female photography.

Friday I flew to Toronto and was met at the airport by Wendy, Vicki & Cheryl (my sisters) for an overnight in Niagara Falls. It was truly an interesting and belly laughing experience.

A picture is worth 1000 words, so here goes.

Cheryl doesn't believe in wasting time refilling a glass, therefore she brought along her favourite wine glass.

Our hotel room had a wonderful view of the falls.

While Vicki was using the washroom, she found this behind the door. She was rather shocked and it caused quite a stir.

It turned out that Cheryl and Wendy set this up as a practical joke. It was a good thing she told us, because I was all set to call housekeeping.

We found Cheryl lurking in the hall later that night. Fortunately we did have a key to our room. We had almost left it in the room when we went out to take this picture. We would have looked really cute in our jammies down in the lobby getting new keys.

Morning came very early with Cheryl waking us up sometime BEFORE 6:00a.m.

Following breakfast we walked along the rim of the gorge taking timed exposures and also taking photos of other families, all of which ended up having Wendy, Vicki and Cheryl posing with them. We made a lot of new friends.

Our Beatles "Abby Road" photo shoot.

Since we all brought our charm bracelets that we got in England in 1969... oh right, Vicki brought the wrong charm bracelet, we stopped and purchased new charms. These ladies were very nice and especially interested in seeing Cheryl's new coat that she is modelling for them in this picture.

Niagara Falls was lovely with it's fall dress on.

They delivered me to Newmarket in time for me to celebrate 50 with a bunch of friends from high school.

Sunday Mum and Dad drove me back to the airport and I flew home. Last night, I slept very well.

Babysitting Mekhi

2010-10-25T08:06:00.000-05:00

A week ago now Megan and Kellon took a two day trip to Winnipeg. Mekhi came to stay at Granny's house.

I have to admit I had a small amount of trepidation, worrying that he would not sleep well and we'd have a horrible time. He was perfect though. Went to bed easily, asked for one story, fell asleep almost immediately and aside from making noises in his sleep that woke him, he slept until about 6:00a or later. At that time, I'd bring him into my room and we slept another hour or so.

Then we played or went hunting for partridge or squirrels. He learned very quickly the sound squirrels make and would identify the location of it for me.

He can come and stay anytime.

I Found It

2010-10-17T22:36:00.000-05:00

Of and on over the years I've wondered what ever happened to my old charm bracelet. Yesterday I found it.

I was cleaning up in the basement and found a box with my name on it. I have been known to simply throw these types of things away. After all if I haven't missed the contents in all the years it's been in the basement, then they can't be that important.

Inside the box, was this little wooden chest, that I probably bought back in about 1966 or so, while on vacation in some national park somewhere. When I opened the little chest, there was my charm bracelet.

In 1969 we went to England for the first time to meet Mum's family. While there we all bought a charm bracelet. The first charm is the little sterling silver Exmoor Pony (which is visible if you click the picture of the little chest).

Wendy brought home the thistle from Scotland the following year and the gold panner to the right of the Sweet 16 charm, was purchased that same summer up in Dawson City, Yk.

The pine cone came from Aspen, Colorado, when Mum and Dad drove a long way out of our way so that I could see where John Denver lived.

Tinkerbell came from Disneyland, California.

The whale, Vicki brought back from Hawaii and the sea horse and star fish probably came from the Florida Keys.

I think Cheryl and John gave me the Sweet 16 charm on my 16th birthday and the charm with the pink stone if my Newmarket High School charm.

I'm glad I found it, but somehow, I don't think I'm likely to be wearing it anytime soon.

Home Decorating

2010-10-14T13:42:00.000-05:00

Just posting a few pictures of my house and the minor attempts at decorating that I'm doing.

The picture in the livingroom on the left side isn't staying there. I have a plan for what will go there, but it's not ready yet. I just wanted to show off my map that Laurence and Kellon hung up for me.

Shhh, Don't Let The Secret Out

2010-10-11T20:53:00.000-05:00

I have worked very hard to convince everyone that I can't cook. It's been a helpful rumour to keep circulating. For instance, when someone is holding a potluck, they always ask me to bring milk or butter. No one ever asks me to bring something creative.

To develop a reputation such as mine, you have to be prepared to select a few off beat recipes and try them out for the first time at someone's potluck. Presto! You're off their list of cooks.

So, the main point of this post is to keep my secret. I can not cook!!!

Today was Thanksgiving dinner with Megan, Kellon, Mekhi, Laurence and me. I had decided to prepare partridge. I allowed myself a few practice attempts with only me as the taste tester and was very pleased with the results.

The meal was flawless. I opened with Klaus' tomato salad (a secret recipe from a very good friend), baked Partridge Marsala, wild rice casserole, brussel sprouts, carrots and for desert Dawson City Bannock (I got the recipe there) with raspberry jam, pumpkin pie and whipped cream.

Pardon me while I pat myself on the back for an excellent meal.

But remember shhh, Don't let the secret out.

A Project Completed

2010-10-11T09:54:00.002-05:00

Back in the day that I used to do theatre, I discovered that after a play was finished there was a huge emptiness that needed to be filled. It was an odd sensation.

Eleven months and seven pairs of kilt hose ago, I started this big project and last night I stitched the last toe of the last hoe (hose... haha)

Now, what next?

I have a stocking to knit for Bentley for Christmas. That will take two or three days of knitting and then...

I purchased these two books a year or so ago and I'm thinking of designing and knitting a fisherman knit sweater for myself.

I will select the finest wool and it will be a sweater that will last me the rest of my life. Great outdoor wear.

I have a sweater that appears in many outdoor photos of me, that I have been wearing for 25 years or more and I think it would be nice to have a new one. Plus it will match my kilt hose. Then I'll find a wool skirt and have the funkiest, most unusual attire in town.

I Love Maps

2010-10-04T16:38:00.004-05:00

I do love maps. They fascinate me. This is a map of Lake of the Woods and surrounding area that I just purchased today. I've been eyeing up for a while and finally decided to splurge and get it. (click on the image and you can probably even zoom in on it to see it in detail.)

The only problem is the place I had planned to put it is a little too small. There is only one other spot that is large enough for it. It's not ideal, but that's where it is going to have to go.

Wrapping Up Summer

2010-09-13T22:21:00.002-05:00

I never blog much in the summer, but I think this year has been my slowest year. I suspect the year of story writing took some of the fun out of the blog experience. It could also be partly because I've been trying to avoid the computer this summer. (I used to call the TV a brain sucker. Now I would have to say it's the computer.)

Catching up again. Stephanie and Matt have been transferred to Dundurn, Saskatchewan (just south of Saskatoon). This past week they were on their house hunting trip and I was in eastern Ontario babysitting Kaden and Ireland.

We spent the first few days at Wendy and Ken's house. They are very musical and have a music room. The kids loved the room and the music that Ken made on the guitar that he made himself.

The tuba was a huge success too. This on is particular special, as it seems to have legs supporting the horn part. (Oh, that's Olive listening too.)

We spent three days visiting with all my family, who at various times came up to Wendy's.

Then we drove back to Petawawa.

The kids were really good and very cuddly. It's been a long time since I've had little arms wrapped around me so much and it was really nice to hear "I love you Granny" so much.

On the final day Hilary and I got very brave and took them to a tea party, that was sponsored by "Grannies for Africa" and raising money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. They were amazingly good.

We had an entire table and all its goodies to ourselves. The kids sampled almost everything, but didn't necessarily finish anything. Granny's prerogative.

Ireland liked playing with the ice cubes best.

There were some women playing African drums. Kaden didn't dance but Ireland did a little. Mostly the enjoyed the time to run around.

As you can see many of the balloons came home with us.

We did a little webcam from time to time, but not too much. Ireland had no problem with it, but Kaden really tended to get upset and just want Stephanie and Matt to come home right away when he saw them. It was always good for a few hugs for me afterwards though.

I am now at home and things are very quiet. In two weeks they'll all be stopping by on their was to Saskatoon. Things will certainly be louder here then.

A View From My Front Yard - Eagles Dining

2010-08-16T11:21:00.001-05:00

Laurence says it's a good omen.

I've had more encounters with eagles in the past few days than I have in many years.

For those who don't know. Years ago I was fortunate to be able to spend a significant amount of time photographing eagles while going commercial fishing with a friend.

I also had the opportunity to climb into several eagles nests with a biologist who was banding the eaglets.

The other day, I was kayaking and I disturbed and eagle who was feeding on a dead raven within 50 feet of me. It flew right over my head (startling me), around and back to the raven.

Today I heard a couple of eagles making a tremendous amount of noise outside. I should have gone and looked. By the time I did, they had taken out this raven and were having lunch on the rock opposite my house.

Although easy to see with the naked eye. The camera isn't so generous. I had to use my 40X digital zoom, which of course doesn't yield the sharpest pictures. I am pleased though.

Half Century Reminders

2010-08-10T14:46:00.000-05:00

This is the year that I turn 50.

There have been a few reminders of the passage of time. The first was teaching swimming to my first couple of second generation students.

Today, I went to the dentist and my new hygenist happens to be a very nice young lady whom I taught swimming to from 4 - 12 years of age. It was a peculiar feeling to wonder if my former student was going to reprimand me for not flossing my teeth.

I got a good report card.

Another Year, Another Race

2010-08-08T18:10:00.000-05:00

It was Dragon Boat races again today.

Our team has a very rocky few weeks and as a result we were a bit disorganized. However, in spite of the hurdles we raced three good races.

We didn't win this year, but were only off by .5 of a second.

It was a good race and the truth is, the same team winning every year makes for a very dull race.

The weather was perfect and the major storm that ended the day held off until after everything was packed up and people long gone from the beach.

Long Time, No Post

2010-08-06T22:35:00.005-05:00

It has been a great summer. I've had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with all of my grandchildren.

Stephanie and the kids spent three weeks here in Kenora. I assisted in this venture by driving to and from Southern Ontario. I'd have to say, that the road trip was part of the specialness and I wouldn't have missed it for the world

It has been quite a summer. It has been very busy and very fun.

While Stephanie and the kids were here, we had a housewarming at Megan and Kellon's new home. It was a great evening, although I confess that I drank a beer or two more than I probably needed.

It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

The kids enjoyed each other's company so much that Kaden is now having a difficult time adjusting to life back at home. Too many adventures and too much fun, but isn't that what a trip to Granny's house is supposed to be about?

But all good things must come to an end and the day came when we had to load everyone back into the car and I drove them all back to Southern Ontario.

Even that was filled with adventure. The kids have learned to be great in the car and also how important it is to say, "Excuse me, Mum." in order to get their needs met.

We stopped at Pancake Bay and spent a lot of time in a gift shop. The kids were great, holding our hands and not touching things they shouldn't. I really can't stress enough how well behaved they were.

. I've been travelling between Kenora and Southern Ontario since 1984 and I've always wanted to go on the ferry between South Baymouth and Tobermory. Whereas, I'm somewhat passive and often don't do things that cost money, Stephanie makes things happen. And after more than 25 years I finally rode the ferry.

On one of the kids television shows they are told to walk as if they are resisting the wind. One particular part of the ferry was very windy. Stephanie told Kaden and me to pretend. The entire ride was great fun!

We stayed the night in Tobermory and first thing in the morning headed down to Laura's house in Wasaga Beach. I've known Laura since we were infants. That was a long time ago. I'm always amazed how regardless of how many years it has been since we last saw one another, we slip into our time together as if we have never been apart.

Laura prepared a really great picnic and we went to the park to eat and play.

After we left Laura's, the kids finally got to go to "Daddy's school" and pick up Matt. The poor guy was squeezed between the two car seats, his head flipping right to left as each of the kids filled him in on all the things that they had to tell him.

The next stop on our whirlwind tour was at Mum and Dad's house in Newmarket. We we met my 2nd cousins from England, Sue and Steve. It was really nice meeting them and the kids particularly enjoyed playing t-ball.

One of the special things that I looked forward to while in Newmarket was a visit with some of my friends from High school. We met at Kim's house and enjoyed a poolside snack and chat. It's amazing how much fun it is to relax over a cup of coffee and renew old acquaintances.

We decided to get together in October and celebrate all our 50th birthdays. With enough time to plan, it is our hope that we can entice more of the old high school group.

While we were at Laura's the kids were introduced to Mr. Potato Head. Stephanie was so impressed with how much they enjoyed the toy that she and Matt went out and purchased a set for the kids.

After a brief time apart, Stephanie and the kids joined me at my sister, Wendy's house. Her husband, Ken, seemed to enjoy the Mr. Potato Head as much as the kids did.

The last leg of our adventure together was to visit with "Baby Bentley", Kaden and Ireland's cousin. Thankfully, Stephanie was feeling a little motion sick and the gravol made her sleepy, so the kids got to enjoy their time with their new cousin.

All too soon the adventure ended and Thomas and Megan took me to the airport to wait for my very delayed flight back home to Winnipeg and then Kenora.
(click on any picture to see a larger image)

Another Day On The Lake

2010-07-24T22:19:00.000-05:00

Most of the pictures are still on Stephanie's camera, but I wanted to post this one of her cliff jumping.

Shown Up

2010-07-23T16:12:00.000-05:00

First let me say that last night I spent two hours shovelling gravel to replace the damage done by the massive amount of rain. We had the road graded a week ago and after raining for an hour, or more, heavily it looked horrible. Repairing it was difficult physical work. My arms and back were very tired.

Today I joined a client of mine for some kayaking. He is in his early 70s. I had to work to keep up. :(

Now, let me try to justify myself.

His kayak is very different from mine. We couldn't adjust the foot pedals properly to allow me to use the rudder, which I rarely use anyway and am out of practice with. It was windy and choppy and his paddle is considerably heavier than mine is. Add to that my very tired arms from the shovelling and I think I've made a, somewhat, lame excuse for being shown up.

My only saving grace is that I am able to admit to my weaknesses.

More Photos

2010-07-11T22:45:00.001-05:00

Like Old Times

2010-07-11T11:43:00.011-05:00

Years ago when the kids were small we used to spend a lot of time out on Lake of the Woods. Somehow with building the house and kids growing up, that all got lost. Yesterday we revisited it, this time with a new generation.

David kindly agreed to take us all our fishing. "Us", would be Megan, Mekhi, Stephanie, Kaden, Ireland and me. Kellon had to work and considering the turn in the weather during the late afternoon, that may have been for the best. David said we'll do it again when Kellon can come.

The kids behaved wonderfully. Mekhi had a minor meltdown over his lifejacket and Kaden got very upset over putting the little fish on the hook and dropping it in the water. I don't think he really understood that the little fish was bait and it seemed like an ugly concept to explain. I guess he figured when the minnow was on the hook we HAD caught a fish. It was really funny and he got over it after we caught the first fish.

I went swimming off the boat and the kids wanted to do the same, so we went to Wolf Island and played at a beach.

Mekhi loved the water and didn't mind either splashing himself in the face or being splashed. He has no fear of the water and walked out to his neck unassisted with big waves rolling it.

Unfortunately the swimming was cut short by thunder, lightening and dark clouds and David decided we'd have to go find shelter until it passed.

During the boat ride, the rain began pelting down and with the speed of the boat it felt like being hit with a million tiny knives. The kids didn't seem to enjoy this part of the day strangely enough, nor hanging out under the tree in wet clothes waiting for the wind and rain to stop.

But stop it did and the sun came out, I quit shivering and dried off a little. The kids quit asking to go home and enjoyed the rest of the time that it took to dry off.

It was a beautifully calm boat ride home, with two short stops. One to clean the fish. Kaden didn't seem to mind that we "cut" the fish at all.

The final stop before David dropped us off at the dock was a stop at the cliffs. Which, with only gentle encouragement, I climbed and jumped off of twice.

The kids were out on the lake from 1:00 - 8:00 and had a great time, remembering the good parts, forgetting the bad and behaved beautifully.

Isn't He Sweet

2010-07-02T00:19:00.000-05:00

And here is my latest grandson. Bentley Thomas was born last week.

He is so absolutely precious and I'm having a great time visiting him.

Thomas and Megan are both very relaxed with him. They're great parents. I'm proud of them.

Bentley Cain

2010-06-25T19:08:00.000-05:00

Sorry there is little information here, but my fourth grandchild was born June 22nd, 2010 at 9:42p.m. I have no photos because I don't head down to meet him until next week.

Unfortunately I will not be able to post any here because Thomas is concerned about internet security. I'll try to describe Bentley to you when I meet him.

A Weekend of Bagpipes

2010-06-13T12:33:00.003-05:00

This has been a busy weekend. On Friday night I participated in the Cancer Society Relay for Life. I was on the team with the pipe band. I'm not quite ready to play yet though.

In this photo is my instructor, Cecil tuning up on the left and on the right is Stephen, the band leader (Can't tell who is on left foreground, but the right is Dawn).

For all the walking I do, I'm not much good at those events. I sat and enjoyed the evening with the band, until about 3:00a.m., when I put up my tent and slept for almost 2 hours.

After the event and a short nap, I returned to town for a ceremony honouring Canadian Afghanistan Veterans. The band also played this event. Pretty good for a bunch of people who hadn't slept much the night before.

A whirlwind day, as I headed over to a wedding and danced up a storm to music played by long-time friend Jan Boutwell and his band.

Today.... I slept in.

The Deer

2010-06-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

During my daily walk yesterday, I came upon an unusual sight.

Kubbie was on his leash and we came around a corner near some rock outcropping. It was obvious by Kubbie's behaviour that he noticed something, but couldn't see it. I began looking around and saw a deer, hiding in the tall grass.

Usually when you come upon a deer in the open they bolt, especially when I have one of the dogs. I guess because we clearly hadn't seen it and the fact that we were so close, he ducked.

It was really cool, there he was almost crouching, head low, ears pulled down as flat to the ground as he could get them. We watched each other for the entire time that we could.

Kubbie never did find him.

Summer Pleasures

2010-06-03T14:28:00.002-05:00

I've been suffering with sciatica since the long drive back from Arizona. In short, I haven't been able to run.

The dogs have benefited from this, as now I'm taking two daily walks. Kubbie runs free on one of those walks and gets a small amount of leash training. On the other walk I alternate between Whisper or Cheyenne. They give me a great bicep and abdominal workout.

However, as you can see today Kubbie got cheated out of his walk. Although there is still time for him after bagpipe lessons.

I'm also planning on spending less time on the computer this summer. The weather looks like it will actually be summer weather this year, so no way am I missing out.

Tree Planting

2010-05-24T15:35:00.001-05:00

The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit. ~Nelson Henderson

Every year Lake of the Woods District Property Owners Association sells evergreen saplings. Since I moved here in 1998, I have planted 75 trees a year. One would expect that I would have a forest of Red Pine, White Pine & Spruce on my two acres. I don't.

The trees are available for pickup on May 24th weekend and I almost always have them planted within a day or two. After planting, I go around and check those from previous years and enjoy the good feeling of having contributed to someone's enjoyment in fifty or one hundred years.

It seems the deer like the trees as much as I do. Most of the trees have not survived the onslaught of the deer. Those that have are seriously deformed and it will take years before they have grown enough to shed the desperate growth designed as a last ditch effort to save their lives.

It took a long time for me to notice these valiant survivors. As homely as they look right now, they will one day, be just as majestic as the trees that the deer didn't find.

.... here's to the trees.

In the photo below there are probably twenty or more trees that I planted two years ago. To date, they seem to have unnoticed by the deer.

Time is measured in the growth of trees. The tree below was a landmark on my property when I bought it. Thomas took the "for sale" sign from the tree on the right when the kids, me and Megan's friend Nichole came out for the first picnic here. The tree that has fallen over was robust in those days and you could easily climb into it's branches and sit, well hidden from anyone looking for you. It's days are numbered now, with each year it looking less vibrant.

And this is one of the trees that I planted today. With a lot of luck, it will one day look like this tree and even if no one ever notices it, I think I've done my part to make the planet just a little happier.

This Year For Sure - Windsurfing

2010-05-17T12:20:00.001-05:00

Before I started building the house I spent a lot of time windsurfing. Somehow once the house construction began there was never time for windsurfing.

This year Windsurfing Sundays start again. Every Sunday at Norman Park the kids we'll get together for a day long picnic and windsurfing (Megan & family and Stephanie and the kids, when she's here) .

I used to be good. I sure hope I still am.

Everything is washed off and I know what has gone missing over the years and what needs to be replaced. We are good to go.

Maybe if the weather is good, next Sunday is a good time to begin.

Another Tea Cup

2010-05-03T13:03:00.004-05:00

I purchased this tea cup while we were in Carlsbad, CA. at the same store I bought my tea cups last year.

This is a double collectable, if that means much to anyone. It doesn't much to me.

Anyway, it is eggshell china, which of course means that I have to add the milk first or the heat of the tea will break the cup.

It is also hand painted using both gold and mother-of-pearl. (That is one of the collectable things... I think.)

It was made in Czechoslovakia which is the other reason it's a collectable, but I can't remember how old it is likely to be or why this makes it a collectable.

It sure is pretty though.

Bagpiping Mushing Mum

2010-05-01T21:51:00.005-05:00

They have arrived. My task this week is to make a noise. I was told to plug the drones and attempt to get a note. Unfortunately, I don't have a #0 plug for the drones, so I had to take them out and use a #3 plug the openings at the bag.

It's a bit like blowing up an air mattress as fast and as hard as you can, but after much practice I am able to play a low G. I even managed a 3 note scale before my lips gave out and I began slobbering.

Bagpipes are less elegant than a cello.

The Drive Home

2010-04-30T14:56:00.008-05:00

This is Manoshika, Montana. Someday I'm going to go back there. It was a favourite spot when I was a kid. That is for another year.

I may have taken a small sabbatical from blogging, but I'm catching up now. Perhaps a year of writing stories every day wore me down a bit. The stories are still online, so feel free to click to read them. There are quarterly reviews of my favourites.

I left Arizona on Monday and had an interesting drive home through the mountains. There was lots of good weather and some very bad, but it was a great adventure and I was thrilled with Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks in the early spring.

This is my bed. I didn't pitch the tent on the drive home and I did spend one night in a hotel in West Yellowstone.

I left Scottsdale early in the morning and came upon this shot within 15 minutes. I can't believe I actually stopped the car so early in the journey
Even along the interstate highways. I can't help taking pictures along the way.

Due to traffic in the greater Salt Lake City area I didn't make it to Grand Teton the first night. I slept at a Flying J and woke up very early to begin driving. I was treated to a sunrise behind the Grand Tetons. It totally made my day start right.
When I arrived in the park I went to the warm springs near Kelly. The air was chilly for swimming, but the water temperature was probably about 30 deg C.

And of course, there is nothing grander than the Grand Tetons.
My plan had been to go hiking but all the regular hikes were still closed or had lots of snow on the trails. I didn't pack snow boots. However, the road through the park was also closed to automobiles, but opened for cycling and walking. The wind was too my back and I rode 8km to Jenny Lake (it was snowed in still) in 21 minutes. The headwind going back was worse than anything from the Yukon trip. It took 33 minutes going back and I was working considerably harder.
You can see that in the background there is weather building up on Grand Teton
I did find a hike that was opened, although only the tail end of a very long one that I'd done back in 1975. The trail part way up is closed, but there is a great bolted climbing face there. I need to come back with a climber someday. I hiked up to the top and took a picture of my car in the parking lot.
As the forecast was predicting nasty weather I decided to leave the park and go visit a dog sledding lady I know digitally. She lives very close to West Yellowstone and the last time when Laurence and I came this way we'd missed her place. The roads had been very nasty that day.

She suggested that I go through Yellowstone Park on my drive home. Only one road through was opened, but it seemed like a good idea.

It was raining and late evening when I arrived at the west entrance and so I got a hotel room. I'm very glad I didn't sleep in the tent or the car because the rain turned to snow overnight and I would have hated to pack up a wet tent.

The weather began turning worse the next morning when I entered the park.
I saw a wolf.... very cool!
Arrived at Old Faithful 10 minutes before she erupted. (What good fortune.) There were only five people there, including me.
Saw numerous snow covered bison.
And the weather worsened until shortly after I left the park (which took about 4 hours to sight see and cover 80 miles), they closed the road through the park due to bad roads. It was very exciting, fun and a tad nerve wracking. Fortunately there wasn't much traffic so it made the journey more pleasant than one would expect and very bad, narrow, sloping roads.
I got in drive mode after that and made it to and hour east of Bismarck, N.D. before pulling into a rest area to sleep amongst the transport trucks. After four hours a cat jumped on my spare tire and woke me up.

I decided to drive again and after two more hours and almost no traffic, I pulled into a rest area just north of Fargo, N.D. and slept another two hours.

I crossed the Canadian border with little fanfare and no harassment at about 10:30 a.m. and arrived home at 12:01p.m. It crossed my mind to pull over and sleep again 60 km from home, but decided that I could probably make it.... And I did.

AND one last thing... Old Faithful erupting.

A Baseball Game

2010-04-20T01:45:00.008-05:00

We went to Chase Field today to watch a baseball game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the St. Louis Cardinals.

While there I had two very bad hotdogs, but the mustard, ketchup, relish and onions were good. The bun and the dog were rather blah! They really should bbq them before they cram them into the bun, smushing it along the way.

It was really rather fun.

Laurence paid attention to the stats that were posted on a large screen and filled me in on the subtleties of the game that would have been lost on a game that grew up watching hockey.

Naturally, I understood the game well enough, after all I grew up playing it in school.

Our seats were pretty good and I got some good pictures.

I was struck by how many people start to leave the field as soon as they figure their favourite team has lost.

How demoralizing for the team.

There was one particular vendor selling beer that was very good. I managed to get a video of him plying alcohol to the spectators. If I can figure out how to cut it down to a decent clip, I'll post it. When he saw me with the camera he gave me a nice smile.

I have to figure out Imovie before I can move ahead on that.

The First Games

2010-04-19T12:47:00.005-05:00

Today we played our first games on the new cues. The cues we chose were made by "Players".

My very first break was extremely poor. Since Laurence wasn't in the room, I set it up again and repeated it again, with better results.

Randy, at Connelly Billiards, gave us a few tips and it took awhile to incorporate these and still perform reasonably well.

I won the first game, but only because Laurence sunk the eight ball on the shot shown in this photo. It was really quite impressive how he sunk the 4 and the cue bounced off the side and hit the eight ball perfectly, sending it into the opposite corner pocket.

The second game Laurence won. I confess to playing very poorly. Conveniently I can't remember how many balls I had remaining on t

he table.

I had my groove back by the third game and won. Laurence had one ball left on the table.

I think it's time to begin sneaking off every morning to practice, or maybe when I return to Kenora I'll have to hide my cue in the car for clandestine meetings with a pool table somewhere. I'll take my friend, Kevin's suggestion to check out the Legion. I'm a member and Laurence isn't.... It will be my secret weapon.

Took The Plunge - New Pool Cues

2010-04-18T19:05:00.004-05:00

I took the plunge today and bought my own pool cue. I'm at the stage where I believe I'm ready to invest in my own playing.

Laurence would love to have a pool table, but I'd rather find a place in town to play and use it as an excuse to go out. Where do people play in Kenora? I know about Hap's and The Lakeshore. Is there anywhere else?

We bought this cool training cue ball too.

Better pictures tomorrow.

Climbing At The Gym

2010-04-15T19:44:00.002-05:00

I'm back to climbing at AZ on the Rocks and I'm afraid my skills have backslid a bit. On Monday I met Damon. It was his first climb since he had shoulder surgery and my first climb since last December. We took it very easy, but I could tell that my technique sucked. It was a good way to start again.

Today I met Sandy. He climbs hard, therefore I climbed harder today. The poor technique clearly showed, however after a couple of climbs I felt like I had got my groove back and although I wasn't climbing as difficult climbs as in December, the 5.7 were at least looking as they should.

I probably shouldn't have climbed as hard as I did. I think I'm going to feel it tomorrow. I could have just as easily worked on my technique, more so in fact, on easier climbs.

The Surfing Lesson or How To Be Like A Stone In The Surf

2010-04-09T21:37:00.012-05:00

Two days ago, I did an 11.5km run. I was feeling pretty euphoric when I passed a shop that offered surf lessons. I decided that I would do some research for a year and take some lessons next time I'm down here.

My research was short, after speaking with a nice surfer kid at the Juice shop where I get my breakfast, I found this surf instructor, Pat Weber of Surfing Academy. This is a photo that Lori (his assistant) took of Pat. I asked that he show me some stuff. I was trying to distract him, which I will explain later. He is very good.

I'm not! Yet!

My mistake was in forgetting to take Gravol (motion sickness pills for those who are uninitiated).

This is me at the trailer getting suited up. I still look pretty good. This was before the surf, the tumbles and the motion sickness.

We went down to the beach, which on a normal day is a great beginners beach. It didn't really look that much like a beginner beach to me. Apparently, the waves are about the weather and there was some weather that had written a new description for the beach that day. Although it still wasn't a bad day to learn, just a little more difficult than usual.

It didn't look like it was going to be easy.

The shore lesson was good and pretty soon I was paddling out and Pat was showing me how to go through waves to get to my destination. Not out at the hard stuff, but the middle section that was manageable.

Pat set me up and held the board until the time was exactly right and said "Go!" I was supposed to stand up the way he showed me and all would be good. Only my body suddenly didn't remember anything about what I'd practiced on the beach.

I fell! Immediately! When I resurfaced, I was a very long way, it seemed, from Pat. So I did exactly what I was supposed to and paddle back to him. It was easy that time. I was still fresh.

He discussed what I had done, what I needed to do. Taught me how to balance the board and to sit and wait until the next perfect wave. When it came, I tried again. No success. Although I did surf the wave in a crouched or lying position... it's all a blur now.

It was more difficult to paddle back to him. I was much more tired.

Then, after getting a really cool ride in towards the shore (which I will talk about later), I got stuck in a series of waves that were close together and seemingly never ending.

While on my walks or runs along the beach this week I have been fascinated by how the waves will pick a stone up and tumble it around and around. I WAS that stone.

I'd stood up, attempted to line up my board just in time for another wave to knock me over, tumble me around. It was like my 5'4" body was immediately curled up into a tiny ball and I'd tumble along with the wave. No sooner would I get up, turn, BAM and I'd start the entire process over again. Sometimes the board would be behind me and sometimes I'd just have it into position and I'd see it rise up before me in the white froth before washing over my head and I'd be a tumbling, a little ball of flesh somewhere beneath the surface. Other times I would stand up, have only enough time to turn around and take a wave full in the face and I'd be tumbling along the bottom again.

It felt as if I repeated the process 10 or 15 times (possibly I exaggerate). Periodically I could stand long enough to see Pat cheerfully waving me back out to him, then BAM!

Now I hadn't been missing my gravol up to that point, but the endless rolling put me over the edge with amazing speed. By the time I finally got my board back out to him, I'd gone through all the preliminary stages of motion sickness. The ones that alert me to the fact that a problem is coming and allow me time to go into preventative mode. NOPE, no prevention happening. I'm at the burp stage. This is the final stage before the elimination stage. (This photo was taken about 30 minutes after my final hurrah, I'm feeling better, but only if I hold my head very stable and avoid looking at anything that moves for more than a few seconds)

Pat was very kind and eager for me to have some feeling of success. He held the board, held my foot firmly on the board and told me to stand up. At exactly the right moment he said "Go!" and let go of me.

For a brief second I felt as if I may have got it, then I fell.

All in all, I was not successful BUT! There were a few times where I felt the press of the waves as they moved me and the board forward. It was smooth. I could feel a gentle, steady pressure coming from behind, all the while I anticipated the white foam would come crashing over me, but it didn't. For those brief seconds I felt in harmony with the ocean, like it was my friend and nurturing me. Almost like you would imagine it would feel if a dolphin swam up beneath you and carried you away in the most gentle of fashions.

To sum it up, the ocean can carry you with a gentleness you haven't know since you were an infant in your mother's arms and in the next breathe smash you to pieces. The trick is to learn to avoid the second part.

I have homework. I need to practice the "pop-up" until I can do it effortlessly. Next time, I'll be ready and next time I'll call Pat as soon as I get here and have him pick a day when the ocean is feeling kind to beginners.

Other training videos by Pat Weber can be seen here.

It would have been nice to have a photo of myself actually standing on the board, but I knew that there was no way of doing that without further indignities. So to give me time to pull myself together, I asked Pat to surf for me in the big waves (I was in the little waves). He was very gracious and complied. He's good, was 13th in the world once.

I'm happy with my day. Success is never guaranteed and only worth it if you have to do something to gain it.

It took the remainder of the day, being very careful, not watching any videos, or doing any sudden movements to recovered completely (motion sickness is like that). Last night, just before I fell asleep a large wave smashed into me and I felt it shift my entire body. Briefly I felt sick again, then I was asleep.

It was fun, and I will do it again. I'll take gravol next time, chose a better day and before I go, I'll have mastered the pop-up, which is a great move to provide balance to training my climbing muscles.

Thanks Pat and Lori, I appreciate your great efforts.

Carlsbad Beach

2010-04-05T15:35:00.000-05:00

The beach is beautiful. I should explain. We had planned to rent an RV and go camping, but in the end I didn't really see the point for a variety of reasons. Instead we are staying at a hotel at Carlsbad Beach. Last night we watched the sun set. Today I went for a run along the beach and got rained on. Later I went for a long walk along the beach.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be nice and to get warmer all week. I plan to enjoy the sun, the sand and the sea. Hope it gets warm enough to go in the very cold Pacific Ocean.

Why I Avoid The Freeway

2010-03-30T00:03:00.004-05:00

I'm on vacation, therefore I'm not in a rush.

I usually take the coast highway because I can see the ocean the entire time, but occasionally, like when we went up to Redondo Beach yesterday, I take Highway 405. We were fortunate and traffic flowed along wonderfully.

Everything can change in a moment though as the southbound people experienced when there was a traffic accident between a car and a box truck.

These two pictures were taken within minutes of one another and you can see the dramatic difference in the southbound traffic flow.

This photograph is of a cruise ship at Long Beach. It was exciting because just for a moment I got to experience a tiny bit of Megan's life. For those who don't know, she and Kellon worked on one of the behemoth for about three years.

We're driving along and I'm saying to Laurence, "get a picture, get a picture."

Catching Up

2010-03-22T09:53:00.003-05:00

Time to catch up on the trip down.

The first night on the road I almost always have a bed set up in the back of the car now. My off button doesn't work very well when I'm driving so I just pull over on that first day at a truck stop when I've gone as far as is sane.

This year was in a truck stop in Grace, Nebraska. Strange as it sounds I like falling asleep to the sounds of transport trucks coming and going. I also like having them around for the safety factor.

The second night on the road was a favourite place from my childhood travels. There were probably almost a dozen people camping there this time of year. Which was fortunate for me as I forgot to pack fuel for my stove... how dumb is that. A nice, thirty-something man came over and loaned me his stove so I could cook my supper.

He had internet via cell phone and looked up the weather. It was supposed to be clear all night. Apparently no one told the weather gods this as you can see by these photos.

. All part of the adventure though and I was warm as toast in my sleeping bag. However, as a result of the systems that were passing through I didn't stay a second night. Instead headed down to Arches National Park near Moab, Utah.

It was really good driving, but I could see major storms all around me. None of them came close though until I got to Moab and found out that the campsites were full in Arches. There was also a marathon there at that time and so there were no hotels. I had no choice but to carry on south.

I did hit a major snowstorm as I was passing over a mountain range. I don't know that I have ever driven in such poor visibility. Fortunately the roads were good as the storm had only just started.

In the end I went to Navaho Monument Valley Park and stayed at a hotel. It is owned and run entirely by Navaho and is very impressive. Both the hotel and the surrounding scenery.

The Search

2010-03-19T21:54:00.004-05:00

I left home on Wednesday morning and was having a great day until I had to clear U.S. Customs.

They were unfriendly to say the least. I had to drive my car into a search garage and they quizzed me repeatedly about why I was travelling, where my husband was, why he was meeting me in the U.S.

I was asked these questions by two different officers in two different locations.

The second round of questioning there were two women standing scowling at me while the man quizzed me. They all worse blue latex gloves.

I was sent to a room with one way glass and had to wait while they searched the car. Then was sent on my way.

I was very upset and vowed to myself that I was never returning to the U.S. again. I've mellowed a little since then.

Personally, I think it is a sexist thing. I bet if Laurence were doing exactly what I was doing they wouldn't question why he was meeting me in Phoenix. I think they have a problem when women do non-traditional things and it raises a flag for them. (Maybe I'm being a little paranoid here, but I've had enough negative customs experiences and that I'm starting to wonder.)

I get patted down almost every time I fly, and I was searched last year when I was travelling alone and again this year.

I have a passport from my country that says I meet the standards, I have never been to court, I have only had two speeding tickets, three parking tickets and I don't cheat on my taxes. I object to being treated like a criminal.

The rest of the trip has been great, but I'll post that under a different heading and upload pictures.

More Early Spring Photos

2010-03-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

This past week the lake has been very wet. All the snow is melting off it and draining through small holes in the surface. As the water flows through the holes they get bigger.

I was checking this one out today and I could easily have fallen into if I hadn't noticed it. They are rather difficult to miss though as there is almost always a long stream leading up to them of very darkish water. This particular one had a skim of ice over the surface that I broke away to reveal two holes below, separated by a ridge of thick ice. Each of the holes were large enough that I could probably have put my foot into them. The ice immediately around the hole is somewhere around 2-3 feet thick.

After the water drains off the ice surface and we have another cold stretch they'll freeze over and the lake will be perfect, absolutely perfect for a few more weeks. If we don't get a cold stretch then maybe the ice will go out early this year.

The colours in the bush are beautifulEverything is melting fast. The trails through the bush are almost gone, my driveway and most of the road is clear of snowpack. I took my rock climbing shoes and scouted out some bouldering locations I've been looking at this past winter.

The rock was rather wet, so I did some cleaning of the surface to see if they were as good as I thought. The only problem is that I'm afraid of falling. I like ropes holding me. I'm not sure I'll ever actually get comfortable with bouldering.

I found this little birds nest built into the edge of a vertical face.

Spring Thaw

2010-03-12T09:18:00.005-06:00

The spring melt has occurred very early this year. The trails through bush will be okay if there is a good cold snap. Unfortunately, that too late for me. I leave on Wednesday, so officially dogsledding is over for this year. (I like this picture, it's so totally me and I think the reflection in the water on the ice is pretty cool)

I love the lake when it's like this. In spite of way it looks there is still plenty of ice and it is completely safe, with probably 18-24 inches of ice. It will all freeze again and then, if I were here I could take the dogs everywhere on the lake.There was a little hole in the ice and all the water on the surface was draining towards it. I shoved a stick down it but couldn't really tell how thick the ice was, just that the hole was only about as big as the stick was around and that it seemed thick and solid.

More Photos From Vermillion Lake

2010-03-11T08:30:00.007-06:00

A couple of photos that Dan took. This one I think I'm going to have blown up to a large size and frame. The only thing wrong with it is that Chinook isn't in it. She's part of the team even if she's not running with the team anymore.

This is not the way it seems. I am not using scotch to make my porridge. I used the bottle as a hot water bottle overnight and naturally had water in the morning to make my porridge with.

This photo was taken Saturday night. There was a shortage of firewood in the area, so Dan climbed the ice with my saw and cut dead trees down from the top of the cliff. He then threw them down to me at the bottom and I'd haul them back to the island. Chris cut them up into good lengths for the fire and kept us well stocked all evening long.

Winter Camping and Ice Climbing

2010-03-07T21:43:00.013-06:00

This weekend my climbing buddy Dan, an old acting partner, Jeff and a new friend Chris went ice climbing and winter camping. I was invited along.

I've always difficult going winter camping because there are not lots of people who are interested. Many people want to try it out, but that's a lot of responsibility to take on and I confess I've mostly avoided doing that and not always as honestly as I should.

Camping alone can be very lonely.

It was great to be invited.

I loaded the dogs into the car, the sled on top and we went up to Vermillion Lake, near Redditt.

I had the best camping sleep that I can remember. It was only about -5C outside and I'd made a nice bed a balsam boughs under the tent. Aside from the fox that got the dogs worked up at about 1:30 a.m. I slept like a baby.

My tent

Dan's sleeping quarters. He never did get his tent set up.

Chris' tent. A very cool two person tent that can be modified to a one person, cutting the weight of the tent down.

I should say, that I didn't ice climb this time. Which means I won't get the chance to do it this year. I do plan to at some point, but... well... I just didn't seem to feel inspired to this time.

Is This February?

2010-02-27T16:05:00.002-06:00

Yup, February 27th and the snow on the south shores is showing definite signs of melting.

It was around -3C when I took the dogs out. They were horrible. Slow, disinterested and they knew they were driving me nuts. I'm even sure when I told them that I was replacing them with a snowmachine that they understood AND didn't care.

A Beautiful Day

2010-02-21T14:34:00.010-06:00

Megan and Kellon came really early this morning, so when they left it just seemed like there way so much day left and I couldn't spend it inside. It is such an amazingly beautiful day.

When Laurence went for his run, I took my skis and met him on the lake and we came back along the lake together. There were some slushy parts as you can see on the ice road shot.