Getting there, of course, is only the half of it. ¶ Preceeding our camping trip we were leaping and bounding tall buildings. Help came at just the right times and the next thing I knew, I was moved into my office. The next thing I knew, I was drinking Creemore pint after pint at Rodney's, marvelling at our luck and in great anticipation of what was to come. What came were more social calls, and finally some last minute goods at the nearby Shopper's. We went to bed and rose bright and early. The drive up to Kearney, Ontario was characterised by JS and I dominating the car conversation. He driving and myself in the back seat. Both of us quietly concerned about our ailing wives (nothing serious). Looking back it was I who should have been the object of worry. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. ¶ The next thing I knew, we were eating the last of our Final Meal (mine: cheeseburger, onion rings) climbing back into the car, and then motoring down a lunatic's road. A dusty, bendy, let's just say it was impossible to ignore, road. For the next nearly hour I was strangely blank. I had been mentally preparing myself, as best I could, by trying not to actually think of the tasks ahead. They included: canoeing, short portaging (times two), and all the details in between. Such as: getting in and out of a canoe, paddling in a canoe, communicating with your patient wife in a canoe while worrying about every move, getting out of the canoe, lugging your kit, and generally MOVING through the woods in waterways and pathways adapted for such a use. It took roughly three hours, shore to shore. ¶ Our arrival was personally anti-climactic. We, or certainly I, was proud of our accomplishment, but it was mired by an incident where I lost my cool during the first portage. It wasn't anything really, but I was a little too focused on it to really enjoy reaching our destination. ¶ Mr. Sun lost to Mr. Cloud in, what looked like early on, a neck and neck match. Mr. Sun just wasn't up for it this weekend, I suppose. He let Mr. Wind blow on through with only a few arrests during our stay. However, we were all grateful to have two virtually windless canoe trips. Indeed we were all quite pleased, in the end, to have received not all that much precipitation. It could certainly have been worse. And that was the worst of it. ¶ I had a few golden moments. They involved things like the moon, the lake, the sky, the clouds, the tree which fit like a chair, the books I was reading, and finally the certain, no longer mired, feeling of accomplishment. I wasn't surprised, mind you, but it certainly felt good to get the old clock ticking to a different pace, to get the back and legs involved for a time. The mind too, was grateful for the stretch. ¶ A rainbow. Canadian Mist. The moon. ¶ Afterward: it would be ungracious of me not to mention how capable a travel and camping mate JS was. He showed me that patience truly is a virtue and that sawing firewood didn't come naturally to him, either.

Labels: Gratitude, WeekendUpdate

¶ 11:56 AM
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