Can We Talk?

The Thrill of Fishing

One day over lunch at Bob and Joanne’s, I happened to mention that I’d never caught a fish. I wanted to do that before I die. Bob immediately promised to take me fishing.

Forget your bungee jumping and sky diving. Boring. Go fishing if you really want a thrill. We took the canoe from its resting place and headed out. Bob was rowing. I was admiring the scenery. I hadn’t brought a camera because I thought it would get in the way of my hauling in the big one. I let my eyes drink in the scenery. I let my eyes be the camera and record what I saw, in my memory bank.

The cottages lining the lake were so beautiful. Some of them were utterly grand. Perhaps some people lived here throughout the year. The lake was calm and, to my surprise, there were no bugs out that evening. Good thing as I did not wear any bug repellent.

Bob casted and slowly reeled in. Nothing. He casted and reeled. Nothing. We rowed out to another spot and he casted and reeled. Then suddenly, there was resistance. He handed the rod to me and I reeled and reeled, making sure the rod stay perpendicular to the lake. All this time I am screaming - “Oh, my God, Oh, my God, Oh my God.” Well, so I was told much later. I wasn’t aware, what with all that excitement. I had caught a bass! It was a pretty good size, too.

We continued to fish and I caught three more. It was all thrilling but nothing like the first one. That was the most exciting of all.

So there you have it. Want a thrill? Go fishing.

July 27th, 2006 Posted by shutterbug | Adventures | no comments

Fury in the Gatineau Hills

We decided to drive into town and stock up on a few things. It was an 8 mile drive, I’ll have you know. But, first we had to eat. Yes, eat.

We stopped in town at a place called Mike’s for breakfast. It was already around 80F so it was nice to sit indoors in cool comfort. Funny how people all around us spoke French. It felt like we were in another country and, for all intents and purposes, we were. The waitress was young and slender and very sweet. We ordered another huge breakfast and then went shopping at the local IGA.

The little town of LaChute is adorable. The main street is lined with specialty shops. Down the centre of the street is a boulevard of trees and flowers with parking on either side. What a great idea. It’s not a tourist destination. The shops are for the locals. Beautiful little shops.

I don’t know what I was expecting from a local supermarket but it was amazing. You’d want to shop all day long. Beautifully designed and arranged. Lots of specialty items so beautifully arranged, you want to buy everything in sight. We practically did and had a hefty bill to prove it. Lots of BBQ stuff. Rib eye steaks, faux steaks of salmon stuffed with shrimp etc. Of course, lots of fruit fresh from the trees and ears of freshly picked corn, not to mention the bacon and eggs and cold cuts, etc.

Charlie had promised to do the BBQ the whole time we were away. He also made bacon and eggs every single morning. Now, I love bacon and eggs but after a few days of this repast, I was getting a little tired of it. But, I didn’t say a word. He looked so happy.

Again, if it hadn’t been for the mosquitoes and other assorted bugs, it would have been Eden. But, I guess nothing is perfect.

It was a Monday night right after we finished watching Canadian Idol that we heard the thunder. Oh heavenly rain. Maybe it will cool things down somewhat. This heat is killing us.

The lights went out. The lights came back on. We walked around unplugging electronic equipment. The lights went out again and then back on. They went out again and stayed out.
We took our drinks and sat in two big easy chairs by the picture window overlooking the lake and watched the storm. I had never seen anything like that in all my years.

Lightning was everywhere. Big thunderous crashes and rain coming down in sheets. At times the lightning came down in forks. At times lightning came horizontally from opposite directions and crashed into each other. At times, I was sure it had hit somewhere. I felt so helpless against the rages of Mother Nature. I refused to touch anything metalic.

An hour had passed. Then two. Occasionally there’d be lull and I thought it was over. Then it started all over again.

We finally went to bed. It was hot. We couldn’t open windows because of the rain. We couldn’t work the fans because of no electricity so we lay there soaking. I kept my eyes closed hoping I’d drift off but I worried about all the lovely food we’d bought and would it all spoil. Well, I’m a worrier so there is always something to keep me from relaxing. Occasionally, I’d open my eyes and notice the lightning was playing somewhere farther away. I saw the light but heard nothing. Then, without warning, it was back again with a fury.

By this time we simply stayed put. There is nothing we could do but ride it out.

I’m guessing, it was probably around 2AM that the storm eased up because somewhere around 2 or 3, I drifted off.

I woke up. It was light. I walked into the kitchen and looked at the battery-run clock on the wall. It was 6:40AM. No power. I sat by the window and looked out. Everything was still and beautiful, just like nothing had happened. Then, I thought I heard something. It was a quiet hum. I went into the kitchen and to my everlasting joy, the power was back on.

It’s really quite unnerving to realize how much we depend on electricity. We are quite lost without it, aren’t we? I felt like death warmed over from not having enough sleep. I need my uninterrupted 7 or 8 hours to feel really good. Three or four hours is nowhere near enough.

Ah, but I opened all the windows and let in that cool, fresh air. How lovely it was this morning. I’ll take a nap later. I emptied the dishwasher, made coffee and waited for Charlie to wake up.

July 27th, 2006 Posted by shutterbug | Adventures | no comments

What I Did On My Summer Vacation II

The next morning we had the best breakfast. Lots of everything. I had their special. That consisted of 3 eggs, sausages, bacon, ham, toast, potatoes. It was wonderful.

After breakfast, we headed off back to the island for lunch. (oh yeah, more food) After the previous day, it was a bit anticlimactic. However, it gave us a chance to see everyone again. We had a so so lunch and then at 2PM we headed off again. This time to LaChute.

It was another 3 hour drive through lovely countryside. We finally got to the cottage. It was so very secluded, it put you in mind of someone wanting to disappear into the environment. We turned left into a narrow road, wide enough for one car (God knows what happens when another car approaches you). We were looking for a sign 1004. It was nowhere to be found. Finally, after much searching, we turned down an unmarked lane with big iron gates that were open. Sure enough, as we passed through, we saw the number 1004 written on the gate. Success.

We drove down to the house and honked. Out came Bob. Curly blond/grey hair, van Gogh beard, plaid, short-sleaved shirt, pants and a bag of garbage in his arms. Behind him came his wife, Joanne - all smiles, slim, wearing shorts and shirt. They greeted us and showed us into their house. Before I go on, their property was huge. They have tennis courts. We could have played but it was way too hot and muggy.

Considering this was supposed to be a cottage by a lake, it sure was comfortable and very well equipped. Joanne made dinner. It was fish. It was nice. I think she is very concerned about his cholesterol because the dinner contained no fat.

Bob is a man of stories. He tells them in detail and very calmly. He is very funny. I enjoy his company.

After dinner, I helped with the dishes, Joanne showed me where everything was and then they left. We took our showers and tried to watch TV only to find that all they had was rabbit ears - no cable or antennae. Oh well, mabe I’ll amuse myself with the computer. No such luck. Only dial-up and I couldn’t use his connection without arranging a brand new connection. OK. Well, this will be a new experience. With nothing else to do and feeling pretty tired, we went to bed.

July 22nd, 2006 Posted by shutterbug | Adventures | no comments

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

We woke up that morning with temperatures already around 80F but low humidity and clear skies. We packed up the car and headed out of town. The drive was without incident and pretty soon we were in the country, heading east toward Kingston, Smiths Falls, Portland and the family reunion.

As the morning progressed, the temperatures rose, as did the humidity. By the time we got to the docks in Portland, it was 94F and felt like 108F. I called the house to say we were here. The reception was very statically but they heard us and told us Chris was on his way. About that time Elizabeth and husband arrived and then another cousin and child. We filled the boat with people and gear. The boat sat 8 and, with the gear and all, we came fully loaded.

When we neared the dock, they were all standing there waving and happy to greet us. We got out one by one and there was a lot of hugs and cries of welcome. Gord and Pam were already there as were Arthur and Helen.

I didn’t know what to expect. Charlie always spoke in such passionate terms about his mother’s family. My late mother-in-law was a “proper” woman. She didn’t have a lot of warmth about her but I always had the feeling she’d have been a riot had we met 40 years ago and had been around the same age. After all, she had lived with a bunch of artists while studying nursing in Toronto. There had to be many stories there but I never heard even one. Think about it, she did not marry until she was 30. That was back in 1937. A woman of 30 would have been an old maid for sure.

OK, back to the rest of the mother’s family. First of all, they are all university graduates. Several of them are PhD’s. They are economists, professors and the like. So, I did not know what to expect but, to my surprise, they were more down to earth than most people I’d ever known. There were buckets of beer, wine and the like. What a great bunch they were. They wore shorts, tees and funny hats. They smoked like chimneys. They were there to have a good time. Period.

I had brought 2 pans of lasagna, marinara sauce and grated cheese. Everybody brought stuff. There was enough food to feed an army. All kinds of snacks, salads, cheeses - the list goes on. More Pictures

We talked and laughed and I took lots of pictures, as much for me as for them. After the sun started to come down, Ellie brought us back to shore by boat. We headed on to Smiths Falls to The Best Western. We got a room on the main floor. We schlepped our bags to our room and the first thing I did was crank the air up. The heat was evil as was the humidity and, did I mention the mosquitoes? I took a long cool shower and it felt sooooooo good. I wanted some ice and water and pop so I went out in the hall wearing only PJ’s and got them from the vending machine. We turned on the TV and relaxed. I must say the only thing spoiling this wonderful country are the damned mosquitoes. Shit. They’re everywhere - by the millions, make that zillions. And it’s not just the mosquitoes, there are a lot of other bugs too. Huge horse flies and the like, also gnats that bite. I mean, it’s dangerous especially at sundown. That’s when they come out and make our lives miserable.

Back at the hotel, Charlie was so very tired. He had driven for almost 4 hours to get to the dock by the island. With all the excitement at seeing his beloved island again for the first time in 50 years, it was just too much for him. By the time the day was done, he was all done in and who could blame him? We hit the bed and it didn’t take long before we fell dead asleep.

July 22nd, 2006 Posted by Lugatz | Adventures | no comments