But as we made our way in towards camp we saw deer, bear, coyote, wildcat, partridge and squirrel tracks and it was warm and sunny so the mood improved. My significant other had left the aluminum plate which he’d had welded onto the front of the 4 wheeler last winter for the plough and…we experienced irresistible force meets immovable object as we struck a large rock with a loud bang and were brought to an abrupt halt. Mister was slumped forward onto the handlebars, not making a sound so I felt his back to see if he was breathing (yes) and yelled “are you okay?” in best first aid instructor style. It appears he was busy feeling his collar bone and shoulder to see if there were intact (yes) so we both checked our teeth and with an admonition from the back of the seat passenger to stop checking for animal tracks and drive we moved on without permanent damage to either the bike or us. A good thing as the moose flies are pesky if you are stopped.
As we make it nearer to the camp it appears that hooligans have damaged the corduroy bridge there and the detour is through a bog. I have visions of the 4 wheeler overturning on a 50 year old woman so I offer to get off and manage to extricate myself gingerly from the machine and make my way through the soggy ground. The organic material is much like permanent marker and the black ooze has stained three toes on my right foot which will have to wait for pumice stone for removal. I elect to continue to walk in now that the circulation has returned to my lower limbs.
The camp was a mess! We were worried about bear damage but they’re too smart to tackle this environment.
The fridge and cupboards hadn’t been emptied since last November when the men folk were in for hunting season as they were 'going right back in'. This leaving of organic material is NEVER going to be repeated. At the risk of making you ill with the thoughts just imagine meat/vegetables/bread/milk etc. left in the heat to putrefy and decompose for the past eight months. I can tell you that I now know I can handle the disaster relief work that I’m planning post retirement. The sight, smell and ooze of the science experiment was grotesque. One scary part was what didn’t break down - Monterey Jack cheese - I’d like to think it was because it was air tight. After a couple of hours of hard labour we ate supper and climbed into the bunk, quickly becoming unconscious.
The next morning was spent purging cupboards and exterminating colonies of mealy bugs. Every dish, pot and piece of silverware had to be washed as the squatters had used plates and forks and just put them back in the cupboards. Ick! I told the life partner he was a lucky man that he hadn’t chosen to come to camp by himself - it would not have been a fun solo project. A self imposed time limit of noon gave the rest of the day to relaxation.
Enough of a breeze that the white sand beach was warm but fly free. Due to UV concerns a switch to the hammock in the screened porch - a good book (am reading The World in Flat by Thomas Friedman about globalization - excellent) sharing a bottle of wine while gazing at the lake. Nirvana. A late afternoon cooling led to taking up residence on the couch (for him) and lying on the bunk (for her) and zzzs all around in a pre-supper siesta. What a beautiful sunset, second night in a row and then as dusk fell a large deer bounced up from the beach and across the front of the camp. We were likely less surprised than the deer as there was not much sign of human interference this summer. After crawling into the bunk, a check out the window confirmed the fireflies were out and playing in the yard.
When were tidying up to leave this a.m. and calculating our sleep deficit remediation plan it appears that we must have required the R&R as we doubled our recent nightly sleep quota. Home in time to start a laundry blitz and enjoy the luxury of a warm shower.
Followed by a decadent Canada Day supper of grilled lobsters which the chef had saved in the pound. Look at the size of these suckers - a half was a meal in itself! Yum.
