Canada Part VI: Sa la vie (eh?)

All good things must come to an end...for now.  We had the traditional steak dinner, began packing our belongings, and stowed cabin gear away...out of the reach of critters that may stop by during the winter.  The changes to the cabin are revisited, cribbage played, and hoping we can get Rodney to laugh until he cries again takes up our last few hours.


The shutting off, the draining, and the final cleaning - check.  Gas cans collected to be flown out, doors to the sheds padlocked, and a last look around - check.  Now we need a plane.  As it turned out, the weather (of which had been really pretty spectacular) dropped in and the low clouds and rain pushed back our time to fly out by an hour or so.


Looking back over the last two weeks and setting aside the makeover projects, these are a few of my favorite things I will take away from this visit.

Between "C squared," the food made from combinations
of what was left in the cabin and what we brought with
us always left our taste buds doing a happy dance.
At some point during the day a cake or a fresh rhubarb
pie would appear.  MMmmm!

The stories that were shared and the "bull" that sometimes
flew at the dinner table made each meal a delight.  Sometimes
the "Board Meetings" were started the same way.  And there
is nothing like  being a part of watching Rodney laugh,
with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Discovering that my little point and shoot
camera has some neat special effects, like
this photo of Bruce turned into a pencil
drawing of him instead...makes me look like
an artist...sort of, but not!

You are never to old to share a moment
with a special friend, as Bruce does above
at a souvenir shop on the drive home.

Greg gets carried away as did Bruce, but I'm
glad they did not share this side of them
at the beginning of the trip.  It would have been
more awkward than it was.

I enjoyed watching the skilled hands of Bruce prepare
fillets for traveling.  The man knows how to wield a knife.

I enjoyed the underwater antics of Ding
and Dong Goodman as they tried to bend
rebar to it's breaking point in 0-gravity
conditions.  Yeah, being an astronaut
isn't so easy now is it?

I enjoyed all the little things.  From fishing to the
anonymous farting between snores in the middle of
the night...I know who you are!

This may fit the too much visual information
category, but since my first visit, this spot,
this view, became my "happy place."  Not
for the perverted reasons bouncing around
in your mind, it was just a peaceful place...
once you get past the initial smell and it must
be enjoyed with the door open!  I will miss you N.S.

The sunsets never disappoint.

Nature always had a way of grabbing my attention
through color...

...finding hidden treasures...

...letting us know in the grand scheme of things, we are
pretty insignificant...

...and there are surprises of all sizes.

The early morning yak trips on the glassy
water were special.

The morning scenes were so tranquil... until the bull
moose appeared and stomped Miki from her state of
nirvana... poetic license...

The reflections seen in the still waters
made me click off crazy amounts of
pictures...

...this was my favorite.

To top it off, Miki got to come and experience this
special place for herself.  This was good cause my
words can sometimes get off point, if you haven't
been able to tell.

My final thought for this experience is one of freedom and relief.  Everyone has moments that you will never forget...first day of kindergarten, first kiss (that was not seen as a sexual assault), you get the picture.  Well, I'll leave this trip with a moment I'll soon not forget.  Greg and Chuck taxied us with the kayaks down to Big Niagra and we were going to portage them below the falls and explore where the water meandered to from there.  The morning was cool, but was warming quickly, especially carrying kayaks and gear.  Upon getting back to the starting point with no bumps, bruises, or bear bites, I was hot...not that Greg was not there to pick us up, but the temperature inside my pants made it a sauna.  After setting the last kayak down, I faced the lake and dropped trou.  The cooling breeze sent me to a place I can't even describe...it was awesomeness to the n-th degree.

I hope you can appreciate this for what it is,
not what it looks like!  (and may this image
burned into your brain be scarred over soon)

Good bye Fiart Island, Donald Lake, Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, Ontario, Cananda.  Sa la vie!

My Zen looking back:  When things click, good things happen.  I have experienced that with  teachers I have had the good fortune to be teamed up with and again in Canada with a group of people where I don't think there was anything we could not have accomplished together.  Be aware when things click.