Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tuesday, September 11rh - I HAVE WATER!!!
It's a breezy 15' and it's still quite wet outside. although the rain appears to have stopped. The weather channel is telling me that it's going to remain cloudy for the morning but the sun should come out later and the temperature should rise to 18'. Newfoundland, however may be waking up to a whole different situation as Hurricane Leslie heads for the Avalon Peninsula. We'll have to keep an eye on that one and hope for the best.
What a lovely surprise to come home and find that the water is all fixed! We've been struggling with a severe water shortage for most of the summer and it was getting mighty frustrating. Lloyd had called the local plumber the end of last week but he hasn't gotten back to us, but we know he's a very busy man.
Turns out it was just our luck that Lloyd's first day at the new job got rained out. So he decided to tackle the job himself. We knew what the problem was but it was going to take some doing to fix it. And fix it he did. He said it took him most of the day but it was time well spent, let me tell you. What a joy to turn on the washing machine and have it fill and then start up without having to shut it off two or three times and wait just to get enough water to do a small load. It's amazing what can really make us the happiest - you can keep your jewellery and flowers, just give me the basic stuff that works and I'm a happy girl!
He also had time to make some pickles yesterday, something he's been dabbling at for a few days so we should be well stocked for winter.
It was a pretty rainy day for most of the day, although it did clear up later in the afternoon to a light drizzle and pretty much stayed that way for the entire evening.
In the midst of all that, he was in communication with his nephew in Newfoundland, about his brother. He'd already let people know that he didn't want any kind of service when he passed away and he wanted his ashes spread in several specific locations in the province. So the brothers and sisters have decided they will all get together, just the four of them, with their nephew and spread the ashes together. It's been a really long time since they were all together. It's just unfortunate that it takes the death of one of them to bring them together. But I suppose that's just human nature and we all get so busy living our lives, we sometimes forget what should really matter.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Monday, September 10 - And it's still raining
It's a rainy 15' this morning and it might make it to 16' later. It rained pretty much most of yesterday although there was part of the morning that was dry, before it really started, then it cleared for a bit in the afternoon. Lloyd was able to go out and work a little but rain eventually forced him inside.
It looks like we're in for some serious rain all day today so needless to say Lloyd's first day on the construction job isn't happening. Maybe tomorrow. Not to worry, he's been busy making pickles and will likely do some more today.
The weekend actually started out pretty good. We stayed in town on Friday after work and picked up a case of wine at the liquor store and then headed over to Victoria Row for a bite to eat. I had told Lloyd about the fabulous hot lobster dip that Brenda and I had enjoyed at the Globe so we thought we'd give it a second try. It was a beautiful evening and my recommendation totally lived up to our expectations. We followed that with some nachos. When we were done those, Lloyd still wanted something but decided on another order of the lobster dip instead of desert - now THAT'S a first! There was a really great band playing on the Row and the music was fabulous. We ended up staying there for quite some time enjoying one of the last warm nights sitting outside on a patio and enjoying a beer and some great food.
I worked on Saturday and when I got home Lloyd took a break from building to come and have a cup of tea. It was actually very warm and sunny so he found it hot working out there. I set about making supper as Linda and Joyce were arriving at 6:00. They had postponed their deep sea fishing so it was on to plan B. I put a chicken on the BBQ while I steamed some new baby potatoes to finish off in a pan with butter and chives later. Some new carrots from the farmers road side stand and some peppers, tomatoes and onions tossed with some BBQ sauce in a closed container on the BBQ finished off a pretty simple meal that had started off with Julia Child's extremely simple (and very frugal) Potato and Leek Soup.. We ended with some home made Banana Cream Pie. A really nice time just sitting at the table and catching up as we haven't seen Linda since 2010. Too bad about the weather for the rest of the weekend though, especially when you're on holiday.
Sunday was a really quiet day. Lloyd had gotten up insanely early, then went back to bed for a nap after I got up. I set about making a batch of Brenda's fabulous multi-grain bread and the loaves are now in the freezer (all except the sample loaf!)
When he woke up, we had brunch and then spent the rest of the day just lounging around reading. It was just that kind of day. (well except for a bit of time working outside while dodging rain drops at the end) It occurred to me that this will be our life once we retire and you know what? I can't wait. I put some pork chops and potatoes and baby onions into a cast iron pot and let them simmer slowly in the oven for the afternoon. The delicious smells wafting from the kitchen and the rain falling outside made for the perfect afternoon to just sit and read. There were a million other things I could have been doing, but that just seemed like the perfect afternoon. I also folloowed up on the Van Gaals adventures in Holland by checking Lloyd's facebook account. It looks like a great time has been had so far and I see that Holland has dropped in for a visit to the blog - coincidence? I think not! (especially since Brenda did leave a message!)
Lastly, we received a call last night from Lloyd's sister advising that their brother, Everett, who lived in St. John's Newfoundland, had died suddenly on Sunday morning. Lloyd always takes a trip out there every fall to spend some time with him and hadn't had the chance to do that yet this year. It was quite a shock and we don't have any details as yet, but it's suspected it may have been a heart attack. Lloyd will find out more today when he talks to Everett's son.
It looks like we're in for some serious rain all day today so needless to say Lloyd's first day on the construction job isn't happening. Maybe tomorrow. Not to worry, he's been busy making pickles and will likely do some more today.
The weekend actually started out pretty good. We stayed in town on Friday after work and picked up a case of wine at the liquor store and then headed over to Victoria Row for a bite to eat. I had told Lloyd about the fabulous hot lobster dip that Brenda and I had enjoyed at the Globe so we thought we'd give it a second try. It was a beautiful evening and my recommendation totally lived up to our expectations. We followed that with some nachos. When we were done those, Lloyd still wanted something but decided on another order of the lobster dip instead of desert - now THAT'S a first! There was a really great band playing on the Row and the music was fabulous. We ended up staying there for quite some time enjoying one of the last warm nights sitting outside on a patio and enjoying a beer and some great food.
I worked on Saturday and when I got home Lloyd took a break from building to come and have a cup of tea. It was actually very warm and sunny so he found it hot working out there. I set about making supper as Linda and Joyce were arriving at 6:00. They had postponed their deep sea fishing so it was on to plan B. I put a chicken on the BBQ while I steamed some new baby potatoes to finish off in a pan with butter and chives later. Some new carrots from the farmers road side stand and some peppers, tomatoes and onions tossed with some BBQ sauce in a closed container on the BBQ finished off a pretty simple meal that had started off with Julia Child's extremely simple (and very frugal) Potato and Leek Soup.. We ended with some home made Banana Cream Pie. A really nice time just sitting at the table and catching up as we haven't seen Linda since 2010. Too bad about the weather for the rest of the weekend though, especially when you're on holiday.
Sunday was a really quiet day. Lloyd had gotten up insanely early, then went back to bed for a nap after I got up. I set about making a batch of Brenda's fabulous multi-grain bread and the loaves are now in the freezer (all except the sample loaf!)
When he woke up, we had brunch and then spent the rest of the day just lounging around reading. It was just that kind of day. (well except for a bit of time working outside while dodging rain drops at the end) It occurred to me that this will be our life once we retire and you know what? I can't wait. I put some pork chops and potatoes and baby onions into a cast iron pot and let them simmer slowly in the oven for the afternoon. The delicious smells wafting from the kitchen and the rain falling outside made for the perfect afternoon to just sit and read. There were a million other things I could have been doing, but that just seemed like the perfect afternoon. I also folloowed up on the Van Gaals adventures in Holland by checking Lloyd's facebook account. It looks like a great time has been had so far and I see that Holland has dropped in for a visit to the blog - coincidence? I think not! (especially since Brenda did leave a message!)
Lastly, we received a call last night from Lloyd's sister advising that their brother, Everett, who lived in St. John's Newfoundland, had died suddenly on Sunday morning. Lloyd always takes a trip out there every fall to spend some time with him and hadn't had the chance to do that yet this year. It was quite a shock and we don't have any details as yet, but it's suspected it may have been a heart attack. Lloyd will find out more today when he talks to Everett's son.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Friday, September 7th - the sausage making career comes to an end
It's still a little drizzly this morning and the temperatures is hovering around 16'. It should clear somewhat later and go up to 21'.
So, it turns out today is Lloyd's last day as a sausage maker. He's taking tomorrow off, which was to be his last day, and begins his new job on construction on Monday morning bright and early. He starts at 7:00 so he'll be leaving home now before I will and getting home around the same time as he is now, around 6:30. They'll be longs days and he'll be really exhausted for the first little while but he'll get used to it. The hours are longer - 7 to 6 but he'll have Saturday and Sunday off so he can work on his garage. Hopefully this will work out for him. I know he'll be busy and the time will go by much faster.
The Van Gaals should be arriving in Iceland sometime this morning so I'll have to sign onto Lloyd's facebook account to see how things are progressing. We don't actually have access to facebook at work but I should receive my new phone today with wifi capability so I'll be able to check facebook at lunch time on my phone, and of course, when I get home.
Not much else is new here. I stopped by a neighbours on the weekend to drop off a card and I was given several very large zucchinis. I spent a good part of the early evening on Wednesday grating them and I ended up with 22 cups. So I packaged it all in 2 cup portions and froze all but one of them. Last night I tried a recipe for a chocolate zucchini cake that turned out well, but it's very rich so a little goes a long way - which may not be a bad thing. I'm going to spend some time doing some baking of things like that this weekend so I can portion them and put them in the freezer then they are ready to take in a lunch box. Lloyd has to bring his lunch to his new job so we'll have to adjust to packing his lunch each day. I suppose he'll also have to have breakfast before he leaves in the morning as well. That might be a good thing to start some healthier eating habits.
Our friend Linda, who is the sister of our friend Stephan, is on the island. She and her friend Joyce arrived on Wednesday and are here for just under 3 weeks. We connected by phone yesterday and they're coming over for supper on Saturday. She hasn't been here since the summer of 2009 so she may notice a couple of changes around the place! They are going deep sea fishing on Saturday during the day and hope to bring some mackerel for our supper. She had really good luck the last time she was here so hopefully the same will happen this time. The weather should be good on Saturday. But I'll have a back up plan just in case the fishing doesn't go so well!
So, it turns out today is Lloyd's last day as a sausage maker. He's taking tomorrow off, which was to be his last day, and begins his new job on construction on Monday morning bright and early. He starts at 7:00 so he'll be leaving home now before I will and getting home around the same time as he is now, around 6:30. They'll be longs days and he'll be really exhausted for the first little while but he'll get used to it. The hours are longer - 7 to 6 but he'll have Saturday and Sunday off so he can work on his garage. Hopefully this will work out for him. I know he'll be busy and the time will go by much faster.
The Van Gaals should be arriving in Iceland sometime this morning so I'll have to sign onto Lloyd's facebook account to see how things are progressing. We don't actually have access to facebook at work but I should receive my new phone today with wifi capability so I'll be able to check facebook at lunch time on my phone, and of course, when I get home.
Not much else is new here. I stopped by a neighbours on the weekend to drop off a card and I was given several very large zucchinis. I spent a good part of the early evening on Wednesday grating them and I ended up with 22 cups. So I packaged it all in 2 cup portions and froze all but one of them. Last night I tried a recipe for a chocolate zucchini cake that turned out well, but it's very rich so a little goes a long way - which may not be a bad thing. I'm going to spend some time doing some baking of things like that this weekend so I can portion them and put them in the freezer then they are ready to take in a lunch box. Lloyd has to bring his lunch to his new job so we'll have to adjust to packing his lunch each day. I suppose he'll also have to have breakfast before he leaves in the morning as well. That might be a good thing to start some healthier eating habits.
Our friend Linda, who is the sister of our friend Stephan, is on the island. She and her friend Joyce arrived on Wednesday and are here for just under 3 weeks. We connected by phone yesterday and they're coming over for supper on Saturday. She hasn't been here since the summer of 2009 so she may notice a couple of changes around the place! They are going deep sea fishing on Saturday during the day and hope to bring some mackerel for our supper. She had really good luck the last time she was here so hopefully the same will happen this time. The weather should be good on Saturday. But I'll have a back up plan just in case the fishing doesn't go so well!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Thursday, September 6th - now this is really embarrassing
It's a drizzly 17' this morning but should clear up soon and make it to 20' later. There's a chance of showers this afternoon but nothing too significant. Yesterday it poured all day so hopefully it was enough to drench the crops that are still in the ground.
Well, this is very embarrassing. I've always thought Greg's birthday was on September 6th. I even have that date in my calendar on my email account. For some reason, I sent Patti a message yesterday to confirm that it was indeed the 6th and she replied, ha ha ha - no it was on the 4th. I was going to blame it on post traumatic stress syndrome from my swim across the eel infested river, but that's really not the truth - I just got mixed up. So, a very big belated Happy Birthday to my son in law, who celebrated a special birthday on Tuesday! Apparently he wasn't really thrilled to see this one come along but look at it this way - some things improve with age - fine wines, great cheese, etc - you're approaching magnificent! Hope it was a happy one!
Well, this is very embarrassing. I've always thought Greg's birthday was on September 6th. I even have that date in my calendar on my email account. For some reason, I sent Patti a message yesterday to confirm that it was indeed the 6th and she replied, ha ha ha - no it was on the 4th. I was going to blame it on post traumatic stress syndrome from my swim across the eel infested river, but that's really not the truth - I just got mixed up. So, a very big belated Happy Birthday to my son in law, who celebrated a special birthday on Tuesday! Apparently he wasn't really thrilled to see this one come along but look at it this way - some things improve with age - fine wines, great cheese, etc - you're approaching magnificent! Hope it was a happy one!
We had some delicious raspberry pie and ice cream with tea at their house last night and Brenda says they'll be able to follow the blog while they are away. Trouble is I'll be scrambling to find something to write about while they're away as I won't have anyone to go out and play with! But there should be some construction going on and Lloyd will be starting a new job next week so we'll try our best to keep them in the loop.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Wednesday, September 5th - be careful what you wish for!
Right now it's an overcast 17' heading for 22' later on but the big news is the rain. There's a warning on the Weather Network this morning indicating that the eastern end of the island could potentially receive up to 65 mm of rain. That's a lot of rain! We were wishing for rain, but perhaps not quite this much.
Not much to report this morning. I finished hemming the kids pants for a girl at work last night so that job can be crossed off my list. Lloyd picked up his new compressor yesterday as our old one had something wrong with it and the part he needed to fix it cost almost as much as a new one, so that's what we decided to do. Of course, now that he has the tools needed to get started on the garage, it's likely going to rain for days on end. But hopefully not. It's so far looking like the weekend might be a little better.
I finally got all my bank and credit cards replaced - or at least in the process. Most have to come by mail but at least my PC bank card could be replaced at the kiosk so all is well. I tried to cancel my cell phone yesterday and realized that it's virtually impossible. Each person who tried to talk you into another plan, gave up and passed you up the ladder to the next one. By the time I got to the last one, I ended up with a far superior phone to the one I have, for less money than I'm paying now. I may have been able to do even better if I'd kept saying no, but I had to get back to work, as I was on my lunch hour.
I talked to the kids last night and it sounds like they all had a great first day of school. James was excited about starting at a new school but also a little apprehensive as well. He says it went well, and was surprised at how many kids he actually knew so it sounds like he got off to a great start. Tristen and Meghan also had great first days as well.
They enjoyed their trip to Washington in spite of getting drenched by rain one evening. Hopefully they took lots of pictures. James enjoyed the view from the airplane, as he could see all the sights at one time.
One more sleep and the Van Gaals head off to Holland. It's going to be a great time for them but a pretty quiet time around here! Maybe we'll get some work done if we don't have anyone to go out and play with! Hopefully we'll have some progress to show off when they get back.
Not much to report this morning. I finished hemming the kids pants for a girl at work last night so that job can be crossed off my list. Lloyd picked up his new compressor yesterday as our old one had something wrong with it and the part he needed to fix it cost almost as much as a new one, so that's what we decided to do. Of course, now that he has the tools needed to get started on the garage, it's likely going to rain for days on end. But hopefully not. It's so far looking like the weekend might be a little better.
I finally got all my bank and credit cards replaced - or at least in the process. Most have to come by mail but at least my PC bank card could be replaced at the kiosk so all is well. I tried to cancel my cell phone yesterday and realized that it's virtually impossible. Each person who tried to talk you into another plan, gave up and passed you up the ladder to the next one. By the time I got to the last one, I ended up with a far superior phone to the one I have, for less money than I'm paying now. I may have been able to do even better if I'd kept saying no, but I had to get back to work, as I was on my lunch hour.
I talked to the kids last night and it sounds like they all had a great first day of school. James was excited about starting at a new school but also a little apprehensive as well. He says it went well, and was surprised at how many kids he actually knew so it sounds like he got off to a great start. Tristen and Meghan also had great first days as well.
They enjoyed their trip to Washington in spite of getting drenched by rain one evening. Hopefully they took lots of pictures. James enjoyed the view from the airplane, as he could see all the sights at one time.
One more sleep and the Van Gaals head off to Holland. It's going to be a great time for them but a pretty quiet time around here! Maybe we'll get some work done if we don't have anyone to go out and play with! Hopefully we'll have some progress to show off when they get back.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Tuesday, September 4th - short and sweet this morning
The sky is pink and hazy over the river this morning with 14', heading for a sunny 24' later that will feel like 28' - I thought we were finished with all of that!
Lloyd made it home at 1:30 this morning and as a result I've slept in a little bit ( well, actually a lot!). Fortunately after our adventures on Sunday, Monday turned out to be pretty quiet. Brenda arrived bright and early yesterday morning and what a perfectly gorgeous morning it was. So we made some coffee, put it into travel mugs and went for a walk - we figured we were pretty safe with that activity!
After she left, I did a couple of little things around the house, laundry and stuff, then set about hemming some kids pants for someone at work. I have most of them done, just three left, but I didn't have the right colour of thread to finish them so they'll have to wait till tonight. Good thing for me school doesn't start until Thursday for the kids here on the island. Today and tomorrow are professional development days for the teachers.
Last night we had a function at the Rec Centre and they wanted us there at 4:00. We dutifully arrived and ended up sitting on the steps outside until 4:45 before we could get in. Not to worry, we still had ample time to get everything ready in time. Because it wasn't a wedding, they were all gone by 8:00 and we were finished cleaning up by 10:00.
I thought Lloyd was coming in on the 12:30 pm flight and when he wasn't home by 1:15 I shut off the lights and assumed he hadn't made the flight. I'd gone to bed around 10:30 but woke up several times, checking to see if he was home yet. Then at 1:30 I heard the car pull into the driveway.
He had a good trip, fairly productive and he was happy with the progress that was made. Patti and Greg and the kids got back from Washington around lunchtime yesterday and apparently a good time was had by all, although I haven't talked to any of them yet. I did have a message from Meghan on the phone when I got home at 10:00 but I didn't call her back. I'll likely talk to them tonight. Lloyd says that James hung out with him at the airport all afternoon observing the assembly of the plane. I'm sure he enjoyed that, then he went out for supper with Lloyd and a couple of friends. Lloyd said they were very impressed by James - but who wouldn't be! Okay, maybe my opinion is a little bit biased, but it is in the Grandmother's Job Description!
Lloyd made it home at 1:30 this morning and as a result I've slept in a little bit ( well, actually a lot!). Fortunately after our adventures on Sunday, Monday turned out to be pretty quiet. Brenda arrived bright and early yesterday morning and what a perfectly gorgeous morning it was. So we made some coffee, put it into travel mugs and went for a walk - we figured we were pretty safe with that activity!
After she left, I did a couple of little things around the house, laundry and stuff, then set about hemming some kids pants for someone at work. I have most of them done, just three left, but I didn't have the right colour of thread to finish them so they'll have to wait till tonight. Good thing for me school doesn't start until Thursday for the kids here on the island. Today and tomorrow are professional development days for the teachers.
Last night we had a function at the Rec Centre and they wanted us there at 4:00. We dutifully arrived and ended up sitting on the steps outside until 4:45 before we could get in. Not to worry, we still had ample time to get everything ready in time. Because it wasn't a wedding, they were all gone by 8:00 and we were finished cleaning up by 10:00.
I thought Lloyd was coming in on the 12:30 pm flight and when he wasn't home by 1:15 I shut off the lights and assumed he hadn't made the flight. I'd gone to bed around 10:30 but woke up several times, checking to see if he was home yet. Then at 1:30 I heard the car pull into the driveway.
He had a good trip, fairly productive and he was happy with the progress that was made. Patti and Greg and the kids got back from Washington around lunchtime yesterday and apparently a good time was had by all, although I haven't talked to any of them yet. I did have a message from Meghan on the phone when I got home at 10:00 but I didn't call her back. I'll likely talk to them tonight. Lloyd says that James hung out with him at the airport all afternoon observing the assembly of the plane. I'm sure he enjoyed that, then he went out for supper with Lloyd and a couple of friends. Lloyd said they were very impressed by James - but who wouldn't be! Okay, maybe my opinion is a little bit biased, but it is in the Grandmother's Job Description!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monday, September 3rd - Happy Labour Day!
It's a chilly 13' this morning heading for 22' later on. The weather forecast says isolated showers but I don't see that happening here anytime soon. The sky is clear and the sun is bright coming up over the river. It's going to be a lovely day!
So how has the weekend been so for? Funny you should ask! It's certainly been an adventure. Friday afternoon, Brenda called to advise that Bernie and Caitlyn wouldn't be home till late so I dropped over for nachos and beer. What better way to finish off a busy week!
Saturday was pretty uneventful - I worked in the morning, picked up a few things at the grocery store on my way home and then went to the Rec Centre to help out with a wedding. Brenda called me after she got home and found out that Bernie and the boys were going biking on Sunday morning so we were free to do something together as well. We decided on kayaking. We didn't want to take the risk of going on our bikes and having something happen that might impact their departure for Holland on Thursday. A broken bone or worse, might not be a good thing so we weren't going to take any chances.
Sunday morning she came over around 10:00 and we headed over to Mount Stewart. There's a little road the goes up past the old rail way bridge and there's a boat launch area there. Perfect! So we unloaded our stuff, and then moved the truck out of the way. We headed up stream and it was a beautiful day. We came upon a fellow that Brenda knows who was in a boat, emptying some sort of traps. We thought it might be fish so we paddled over to investigate. Turns out he fishes eels. They aren't used here very much these days, and he was telling us these ones get packed and shipped to England. They were quite large and he was telling me that the minimum size is 21" long. Anything shorter and they have to go back into the water. By the third trap he had 43 in the hold that were big enough to keep and he has 12 traps out there on that part of the river. Who knew the water in the Hillsborough was teeming with eels! Glad I don't swim in THAT water! But it was interesting to see how they catch them and get them into the hold. They were very large and slippery so it's a lot of work to deal with them. I had some great pictures but...you're getting this one from online, instead.
From there we paddled further up stream till we couldn't go any further. On our way we saw some Bald Eagles perched on the tops of trees. One of them even took off and flew back and forth and all around in front of us before once again alighting on a tree top. It was almost like it was putting on a little show for us. As we got back to the boat launch, we were not very far from the railway bridge, and there's a narrow opening underneath it so when the tide is coming in or out, the water really rushed through there because it's so narrow. We paddled over to take a closer look and get some pictures. This is where it got really interesting.
There are no rocks, just some swirling water so we thought we could point our boats into the water and enjoy the ride. Fortunately we didn't go together. I just got into it when water came rushing up over the right side and into my boat. Before I had a chance to counter balance a rush of water came up on the left side and with the water still sloshing inside, it was enough to overturn my kayak. Because of the large opening in our kayaks, I just fell right out so that wasn't an issue, but of course I was down under the water and not able to reach the bottom. Did I mention that I can't actually swim and that I'm actually somewhat afraid of the water??? Fortunately I WAS wearing my life jacket, something I would never be without when out on the water. There was a moment of panic on my part, but then I thought, no, if I just stay calm, the life jacket will do what it's meant to, and it did. I decided to just let it bring me to the surface and the rushing water would push me further upstream to calmer water. This is exactly what happened and with paddling my arms, I was able to get close to shore to a place where I could actually stand up. I was very proud of myself for not panicking too much. By then Brenda had paddled over to where I was. I still had my paddle in my hands and I could see my kayak, still overturned downstream. But the water was slowly pushing it towards me and eventually I could reach it.
Now we have a bit of a problem - we're on the opposite side of the river to the truck and my boat is upside down and full of water. What to do? So we discussed the situation and decided that I could hold on to the handle at the back of Brenda's boat with my left hand, and hold the handle on the front of my boat with my right hand. We put my paddle in her boat and she started paddling, towing me and my kayak behind her. I kicked my legs as much as possible in order to try to help with the momentum a bit. I don't know if it really helped or not, but I felt like I was at least doing something useful as I was towed across. Thanks to her, she got us both back to the other shore.
The really funny part was, there was a fellow just launching his motor boat as we were half way across. We thought perhaps he might be coming out to help us. Turns out that wasn't the case. In fact, once we got to the shore, he had anchored his boat, which was in the water, but he couldn't reach the rope that was attached to it and he asked Brenda, who was towing me and my upside down boat, if she could reach the rope for him as he didn't have his long boots and didn't want to step into the water. Obviously we must have looked like we had the situation totally under control.
Once I could stand on the bottom, we got the boats in to shore, and used a water bottle to bail the water out of mine, since it doesn't pour out of a kayak too well. That's when it dawned on me that my small backpack was also in the boat, and of course was long gone. Unfortunately inside was my cell phone, my camera, my change purse (with $40.00, 2 debit cards and 2 credit cards) and my glasses!
But I guess in reality it's all just stuff that easily replaced - and I didn't drown. I was ever so glad of that because I would have really hated to see Brenda miss her trip because she had to stay for my funeral!! We can laugh about it now but for a couple of minutes it was a little scary.
I have to admit I was a little unsettled for the rest of the afternoon and I think Brenda was probably the same. She had company at home and had to go and entertain them but she called me at 9:00 to make sure I was okay - it had been quite an experience for both of us but it turned out okay in the end!
Just goes to prove - don't fool with Mother Nature!
So how has the weekend been so for? Funny you should ask! It's certainly been an adventure. Friday afternoon, Brenda called to advise that Bernie and Caitlyn wouldn't be home till late so I dropped over for nachos and beer. What better way to finish off a busy week!
Saturday was pretty uneventful - I worked in the morning, picked up a few things at the grocery store on my way home and then went to the Rec Centre to help out with a wedding. Brenda called me after she got home and found out that Bernie and the boys were going biking on Sunday morning so we were free to do something together as well. We decided on kayaking. We didn't want to take the risk of going on our bikes and having something happen that might impact their departure for Holland on Thursday. A broken bone or worse, might not be a good thing so we weren't going to take any chances.
Sunday morning she came over around 10:00 and we headed over to Mount Stewart. There's a little road the goes up past the old rail way bridge and there's a boat launch area there. Perfect! So we unloaded our stuff, and then moved the truck out of the way. We headed up stream and it was a beautiful day. We came upon a fellow that Brenda knows who was in a boat, emptying some sort of traps. We thought it might be fish so we paddled over to investigate. Turns out he fishes eels. They aren't used here very much these days, and he was telling us these ones get packed and shipped to England. They were quite large and he was telling me that the minimum size is 21" long. Anything shorter and they have to go back into the water. By the third trap he had 43 in the hold that were big enough to keep and he has 12 traps out there on that part of the river. Who knew the water in the Hillsborough was teeming with eels! Glad I don't swim in THAT water! But it was interesting to see how they catch them and get them into the hold. They were very large and slippery so it's a lot of work to deal with them. I had some great pictures but...you're getting this one from online, instead.
From there we paddled further up stream till we couldn't go any further. On our way we saw some Bald Eagles perched on the tops of trees. One of them even took off and flew back and forth and all around in front of us before once again alighting on a tree top. It was almost like it was putting on a little show for us. As we got back to the boat launch, we were not very far from the railway bridge, and there's a narrow opening underneath it so when the tide is coming in or out, the water really rushed through there because it's so narrow. We paddled over to take a closer look and get some pictures. This is where it got really interesting.
There are no rocks, just some swirling water so we thought we could point our boats into the water and enjoy the ride. Fortunately we didn't go together. I just got into it when water came rushing up over the right side and into my boat. Before I had a chance to counter balance a rush of water came up on the left side and with the water still sloshing inside, it was enough to overturn my kayak. Because of the large opening in our kayaks, I just fell right out so that wasn't an issue, but of course I was down under the water and not able to reach the bottom. Did I mention that I can't actually swim and that I'm actually somewhat afraid of the water??? Fortunately I WAS wearing my life jacket, something I would never be without when out on the water. There was a moment of panic on my part, but then I thought, no, if I just stay calm, the life jacket will do what it's meant to, and it did. I decided to just let it bring me to the surface and the rushing water would push me further upstream to calmer water. This is exactly what happened and with paddling my arms, I was able to get close to shore to a place where I could actually stand up. I was very proud of myself for not panicking too much. By then Brenda had paddled over to where I was. I still had my paddle in my hands and I could see my kayak, still overturned downstream. But the water was slowly pushing it towards me and eventually I could reach it.
Now we have a bit of a problem - we're on the opposite side of the river to the truck and my boat is upside down and full of water. What to do? So we discussed the situation and decided that I could hold on to the handle at the back of Brenda's boat with my left hand, and hold the handle on the front of my boat with my right hand. We put my paddle in her boat and she started paddling, towing me and my kayak behind her. I kicked my legs as much as possible in order to try to help with the momentum a bit. I don't know if it really helped or not, but I felt like I was at least doing something useful as I was towed across. Thanks to her, she got us both back to the other shore.
The really funny part was, there was a fellow just launching his motor boat as we were half way across. We thought perhaps he might be coming out to help us. Turns out that wasn't the case. In fact, once we got to the shore, he had anchored his boat, which was in the water, but he couldn't reach the rope that was attached to it and he asked Brenda, who was towing me and my upside down boat, if she could reach the rope for him as he didn't have his long boots and didn't want to step into the water. Obviously we must have looked like we had the situation totally under control.
Once I could stand on the bottom, we got the boats in to shore, and used a water bottle to bail the water out of mine, since it doesn't pour out of a kayak too well. That's when it dawned on me that my small backpack was also in the boat, and of course was long gone. Unfortunately inside was my cell phone, my camera, my change purse (with $40.00, 2 debit cards and 2 credit cards) and my glasses!
But I guess in reality it's all just stuff that easily replaced - and I didn't drown. I was ever so glad of that because I would have really hated to see Brenda miss her trip because she had to stay for my funeral!! We can laugh about it now but for a couple of minutes it was a little scary.
I have to admit I was a little unsettled for the rest of the afternoon and I think Brenda was probably the same. She had company at home and had to go and entertain them but she called me at 9:00 to make sure I was okay - it had been quite an experience for both of us but it turned out okay in the end!
Just goes to prove - don't fool with Mother Nature!
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