Week 25: Back is Black

.: August 13 & 14, 2011 :.

Floating paradise

We had high hopes for and anticipation of the scheduled events this weekend. 

We arrived earlier than usual Friday evening (without any incidents) and we settled in and played a couple of games of cribbage on the deck to kill some time. The temperature gradually started sinking so we decided to go inside and watch Spooks before turning in for the night.

I got up early Saturday morning and while Sim was still sleeping I started cleaning up the forest area that has been my project over the better part of this summer. I was busy moving small sticks and such when out of the blue my lower back locked up and sent waves of pain up my spine and down my legs. I tried to walk it off, but the pain just wouldn't go away. Over the course of the weekend it slowly grew worse.

Wildflower

The pain had started only a few minutes before Sim got up, and it wasn't long after that that Bob and his crew showed up with the new raft on a trailer. It took them about 45 minutes to unload it, get it into the pond, and have it anchored in its designated spot. Once there it looked terrific!

At about 11:30 Sim's parents arrived. There was a little rain, so we hung out on the deck talking until it cleared up, at which time Sim's mother wanted to get working, so she went to the forest to continue my earlier work. Both of us were again impressed by how hard she works - she's like a machine. She completely finished relocating the pile of branches and sticks and the forest area is looking better for it.

Up close and very personal

While she was working I went to the shed to get the red rake. As I approached the shed door I noticed a spider's web in which a wasp had become entangled. The author of the web (Charlotte?) was in the process of wrapping the wasp in a cocoon. I quickly got Sim's attention and she brought her camera with the macro lens and got some really great shots.

By around 2:00 we were ready for a swim! I was the first in the water and onto the raft. Sim joined him, followed by her father. The water was a little chilly, because the weather's been a bit cooler than normal, but it was refreshing and, more importantly, fun!

Anyway, the raft is fantastic - we're very excited for the hours of fun and relaxation it offers us in the future.

At around 3:30 it started to look ominous on the horizon, so we decided to get dinner ready. I had already started the BBQ and by the time we got back to the chalet it was piping hot and ready for the seasoned chicken we'd brought. Sim's parents brought some delightful red cabbage salad and we had a very delicious and pleasant meal at the "new" picnic table.

Pond wildlife

We spent a while longer visiting before Sim's parents got ready to leave and then said our goodbyes as they departed.

By this point my back was killing me, and I more or less passed out for the next few hours on a couple of the open-armed Muskoka chairs. Meanwhile Sim spent some time at the pond taking more macro shots.

We spent the rest of the evening watching a few more episodes of Spooks before calling it a night.

The next morning my back was still causing him real grief. Nevertheless, we went to the local inn and enjoyed a delicious sausage and egg breakfast. It was still overcast and in fact shortly after returning to Twin Ponds the weather became threatening. The thunder on the horizon prompted us to pack up early and head home.

Even though the weekend was regrettably cut short, it was very nice and gave us more enthusiasm about spending time in Pond Superior playing on the raft. Good times to come!

Almost lost and found

We found our camera! Turns out it was hanging on the back of a chair in the cabin the entire time. Unfortunately the black bag blended perfectly with the black chair and black guitar case immediately behind it so I didn't see it while I searched. Twice.

I never seem to be able to find big things when they're right in front of me. Camera bags, bags of flour, jars of peanut butter? Nope. "We're definitely out of peanut butter, Spence. Definitely. I checked."

You'd think my eyesight's going, but give me something nearly microscopic to find and I'll spot it in under five minutes. Friday night Spence knocked a small magnet off the fridge. It's a silver cylinder maybe 1/4" long and 1/8" wide. It bounced off his foot and was immediately out of sight. I spotted it in under 30 seconds. Yesterday small silver spring from a roofing nailer fell onto our gravel driveway. It couldn't have been bigger than 1/16" wide and maybe 3/16" long. I found it in under two minutes. It really makes no sense.

So yeah, roofing nailers. We're in the process of redoing our cabin's roof. The old roof doesn't have much time left in it and was installed without tar paper underneath. By my count there were three distinct layers of shingles plastered on it, perhaps an effort to make up for the original oversight, but more likely another shortcut used when the current roof sprung a leak. We spent a good portion of yesterday using a crow bar to remove it all before starting to install the new shingles over tar paper this time.

I'm starting to think life is trying to make some type of point about my eyesight because at one point our nailer jammed. While the guys were trying to fix it I was standing about 8 feet away searching some local stores' inventory since it looked like it needed to be replaced. Suddenly I hear a loud swoosh. I've always been a flincher and yesterday was no different. My eyes involuntarily clamped shut just as something hard smacked me on my left eye lid. Turns out one of the bolts on the gun snapped and the pressure from the compressor sent it hurling at me at an ungodly speed. Thankfully aside from a dull ache that lasted the rest of the day I'm completely fine.

I'm not sure what the message is exactly, universe, but it's definitely coming through.

Week 17: There will be Blood

.: June 4 & 5, 2011 :.

After what seemed like endless rain the week leading up to this weekend’s visit was impeccable. It was sunny and warm, but not too warm. It all pointed to a great weekend. For that reason we decided to leave Friday evening rather than Saturday morning. Mother Nature, however, was being her predictably perterbed self and although we got there without incident and had a pleasant (albeit short) evening at Twin Ponds, Saturday morning looked dark and foreboding.

I got up at around 6 a.m. and the skies on the horizon looked threatening. Nonetheless I went into town and procured breakfast from Tim Horton’s. It wasn’t long after my return that the dark skies turned darker and let loose a howling storm of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. So we basically waited it out.

This weekend Sim’s parents were scheduled to visit for the first time. We were looking forward to it, as were they. In fact, Sim’s mother got up early herself to do some baking. Given the weather we weren’t sure whether they would still come, but they didn’t let it discourage them and while we sat inside the cabin watching Fringe they arrived without us even hearing their car. It was still raining a little at that point, so we showed them inside and gave them the 15 second tour of the cabin.

We then decided to show them the property despite the moisture and by the time we had made it to the ponds the rain had all but stopped. As the sun slowly broke its way through the clouds we spent some time back on the deck chatting and enjoying the food that Sim’s mother had baked.

Feeling reenergized, we decided to split up: Sim's mom and Sim went to work on the clearing while her father and I continued last week’s work of cleaning up the brush. It was not without incident, unfortunately, since I managed to rip my arm open with a sharp stick (don't ask).

Having limited cooking facilities we opted for venturing to a local inn for supper. After a very welcome and delicious warm meal, we explored the local roads by taking a new route back and discovered the local golf club which is tucked away a series of gravel roads lined with towering trees.

Sunday proved to be absolutely beautiful. Taking advantage of this lucky break we rolled up or sleeves and got to work assembling our brand new charcoal barbecue. Hamburgers here we come!

Once that task was done, Sim decided to call it a day work-wise and opted to read at the ponds while I continued to work on the clearing, building up a good sweat. After an hour and a half of hard work, I doffed my sweaty work clothes and went snorkeling in Pond Superior.

Our main appliance

Ouch!

What?!

Bandet as a lifeguard