How quickly we humans adapt.
We just spent a week in lovely Waskesiu Lake. We adapted quite nicely to.....
- a small, million year old cabin with no stove nor bathroom.
- mosquitos that will carry you away while injecting you with enough West Nile to sink a boat.
- a blistering 35 degrees Celcius the first day.....tornado touching down about 50 miles away the next day.
- walking to the outdoor bathroom in the middle of the night whistling away to scare any bear that might be lurking.
So day 1...cabin felt miniscule, mosquitos drove me batty, ate out cause couldn't think about cooking on a hotplate, ran to the outdoor bathroom flapping arms because of bugs while whistling because of bears.
Day 3....love cleaning that little cozy cabin ( only takes about 1 minute), hung around the dragon flies( they eat mosquitoes and they only look like they're dive bombing your head...they miss it at the last minute), cookin' up a storm on the hotplate(spaghetti, corn on the cob, killer coffee),walk leisurely to bathroom at 3 am waving arms gently and only making soft clicking noises to scare away the bear.
Day 6....don't bother cleaning cabin...the sand on the floor is exfoliating my rough heels, I am one giant mosquito bite so the little critters have no more skin to poke, jambalya, vegetarian chili on the hotplate with bar b qued chicken souvlaki and a margarita , strolling to bathroom at 3 am with no flashlight-camera at the ready so I can take a picture of the bear!
Had a great vacation. Next year we're going for 2 weeks!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
FORE!!!!
Played 18 holes of golf today. I haven't golfed in about 15 years and then it was with a bunch of chicks, we were drinking coolers and having more fun driving the cart than the ball!
I didn't do to badly today though. I kinda forgot to keep track of how many times I hit the ball so didn't bother keeping score but I hit it and sometimes it went really far AND straight.
Poor Kevin...most of the time his went really far, really high, and always to the right....into the next fairway. He had to yell FORE!! alot. That was kinda fun!
What do you do? Fore means you could get hit by a ball....do you duck? Do you look up? where the hell is the ball coming from? It's awful hearing that....you just kind of do a ducking motion and look left and right and listen really hard for the sound of the ball whistling through the air toward you.
It was hot though....about 30 degrees. Afterward we all decided to go out for dinner with the kids to bore them with our putting stories...I ended up having to take a cab home....sunstroke.....puking....headache....who knew golf was so taxing. Kinda wimpy eh? Bedridden from golf. Had to take to my bed after a hard golf game....
I didn't do to badly today though. I kinda forgot to keep track of how many times I hit the ball so didn't bother keeping score but I hit it and sometimes it went really far AND straight.
Poor Kevin...most of the time his went really far, really high, and always to the right....into the next fairway. He had to yell FORE!! alot. That was kinda fun!
What do you do? Fore means you could get hit by a ball....do you duck? Do you look up? where the hell is the ball coming from? It's awful hearing that....you just kind of do a ducking motion and look left and right and listen really hard for the sound of the ball whistling through the air toward you.
It was hot though....about 30 degrees. Afterward we all decided to go out for dinner with the kids to bore them with our putting stories...I ended up having to take a cab home....sunstroke.....puking....headache....who knew golf was so taxing. Kinda wimpy eh? Bedridden from golf. Had to take to my bed after a hard golf game....
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
How long is this trip?
I'm packing for our summer holiday at the lake. We're going to Prince Albert National Park! Waskesiu Lake!!! I'm so excited!!!
I used to go there every summer as a kid. The first time we camped in this army surplus tent trailer thing ( my sister slept in the car the whole time!). Next we graduated to a trailer ( my sister slept in the car the whole time!)
--I need to add that my sister slept in the car between my Dad getting us all up and into the car at about 3 am because he " thinks" he heard a bear. We'd drive around looking for said bear and sometimes we'd find said bear....and at 3 am my Dad would honk the horn scaring the bear away and in his mind saving all of Waskesiu from the savage rampage of one lone bear!--
I also think she slept in the car so she could sneak off in the middle of the night with her hippy friends.
I digress!
After the trailer we moved up to rental cabins. 30 some odd years later my family is staying in the same cabins!!!
My problem is - what to pack?
We're only going for one week. There are 4 of us. We need clothing for 30+ and clothing for cold and rainy. We need food. We need entertainment....rainy day activities and hot beach toys.
I know I take too much. I'll undoubtedly be living in the most comfy shorts and ratty t shirt but I can't just pack that. I pack each outfit, imagining myself in the outfit, actually imagining what I'm doing in the outfit....case in point. Cute little capris, cute little tank to go with it, flip flops. I'm walking along the trails along the beach. The sun is shining indirectly, filtered by the trees above...so it's not too hot. My kids are running ahead in their shorts, flip flops etc. My husband is in his beige shorts and grey t shirt. We're eating ice cream cones....I look skinny.
We're on the beach. Me in my black crochet cover up. Always in my black crochet cover up!
It's rainy. I'm wearing my Lu Lu Lemon hoodie with my Lu lu lemon pants .
See what I mean? What will actually happen is this. It'll be hot, I'll want to be comfortable. I'll wear my favorite comfy shorts, I may change shirts. That'll be it. I'll try to put on a pair of jeans in the evening but they'll feel too tight and restrictive so I'll take them off and put my shorts back on!
Oh well, I've packed quite a few bins just in case!
I used to go there every summer as a kid. The first time we camped in this army surplus tent trailer thing ( my sister slept in the car the whole time!). Next we graduated to a trailer ( my sister slept in the car the whole time!)
--I need to add that my sister slept in the car between my Dad getting us all up and into the car at about 3 am because he " thinks" he heard a bear. We'd drive around looking for said bear and sometimes we'd find said bear....and at 3 am my Dad would honk the horn scaring the bear away and in his mind saving all of Waskesiu from the savage rampage of one lone bear!--
I also think she slept in the car so she could sneak off in the middle of the night with her hippy friends.
I digress!
After the trailer we moved up to rental cabins. 30 some odd years later my family is staying in the same cabins!!!
My problem is - what to pack?
We're only going for one week. There are 4 of us. We need clothing for 30+ and clothing for cold and rainy. We need food. We need entertainment....rainy day activities and hot beach toys.
I know I take too much. I'll undoubtedly be living in the most comfy shorts and ratty t shirt but I can't just pack that. I pack each outfit, imagining myself in the outfit, actually imagining what I'm doing in the outfit....case in point. Cute little capris, cute little tank to go with it, flip flops. I'm walking along the trails along the beach. The sun is shining indirectly, filtered by the trees above...so it's not too hot. My kids are running ahead in their shorts, flip flops etc. My husband is in his beige shorts and grey t shirt. We're eating ice cream cones....I look skinny.
We're on the beach. Me in my black crochet cover up. Always in my black crochet cover up!
It's rainy. I'm wearing my Lu Lu Lemon hoodie with my Lu lu lemon pants .
See what I mean? What will actually happen is this. It'll be hot, I'll want to be comfortable. I'll wear my favorite comfy shorts, I may change shirts. That'll be it. I'll try to put on a pair of jeans in the evening but they'll feel too tight and restrictive so I'll take them off and put my shorts back on!
Oh well, I've packed quite a few bins just in case!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Courage
As I sit and write this my hands are trembling and my heart is skipping the odd beat.
This afternoon....in about 40 minutes and 7 seconds I am going out in public in a bathing suit!!!!
I KNOW!!!!
I'm going to an outdoor PUBLIC pool! Damn it! We spent a fortune on an above ground huge monster pool that has taken over our yard and now it seems my kids seem to miss other people or something.
It's not just any old public pool...it's the public pool that all the beautiful people go to. No old men and ladies with shower caps on. ONLY young, tiny, athletic, bikini clad, PUBLIC swimming, show offs!
I have four bathing suits and none of them are really for swimming. They're for wearing sarongs over them. My kids want me to swim and actually walk on the deck without the sarong!
We're going with another family. My neighbour ( a dad- a guy who doesn't understand) and his two kids.
Oh, I also just realized I don't have waterproof mascara! Great! I'll have jiggly legs AND small squinty eyes!
Talk to you later. I've got to go. I just might have time to shave.
This afternoon....in about 40 minutes and 7 seconds I am going out in public in a bathing suit!!!!
I KNOW!!!!
I'm going to an outdoor PUBLIC pool! Damn it! We spent a fortune on an above ground huge monster pool that has taken over our yard and now it seems my kids seem to miss other people or something.
It's not just any old public pool...it's the public pool that all the beautiful people go to. No old men and ladies with shower caps on. ONLY young, tiny, athletic, bikini clad, PUBLIC swimming, show offs!
I have four bathing suits and none of them are really for swimming. They're for wearing sarongs over them. My kids want me to swim and actually walk on the deck without the sarong!
We're going with another family. My neighbour ( a dad- a guy who doesn't understand) and his two kids.
Oh, I also just realized I don't have waterproof mascara! Great! I'll have jiggly legs AND small squinty eyes!
Talk to you later. I've got to go. I just might have time to shave.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Go ahead, jump in!
My kids are in the middle of their summer swimming lessons and for some reason watching them in their lessons gives me such huge surges of heart swelling love!!
Every summer I enroll them in swimming lessons for the first two weeks and every summer I'm hit with this feeling as I sit on deck watching them.
Is it that they seem so vulnerable in their near nakedness struggling and never giving up in their attempt to master the art of staying afloat?
There's something about seeing my kids in bathing suits all bony and skinny, wet hair plastered to their foreheads winning this battle lesson after lesson.
Is it that they send quick glances my way every few seconds to see that I'm watching them, then quickly look away like they don't care that I am?
Is it that I know my son is terrified in the deep dive tank yet jumps in like he's told to and says to me later " Mom, I was shaking but I'm really good at treading water."
Is it that my daughter swims effortlessy, doing the front crawl like you wouldn't believe, yet at 3yrs of age she adamantly refused to put even her chin in the water at the toddler lessons?
Swimming lessons are different than other sports. There's no protective gear, no team mate to pass it to, no position that you're better at so that's where you stay. It's you against the pull of gravity....sink or swim.... and they win the game everyday at that pool. Man they're cool!
Every summer I enroll them in swimming lessons for the first two weeks and every summer I'm hit with this feeling as I sit on deck watching them.
Is it that they seem so vulnerable in their near nakedness struggling and never giving up in their attempt to master the art of staying afloat?
There's something about seeing my kids in bathing suits all bony and skinny, wet hair plastered to their foreheads winning this battle lesson after lesson.
Is it that they send quick glances my way every few seconds to see that I'm watching them, then quickly look away like they don't care that I am?
Is it that I know my son is terrified in the deep dive tank yet jumps in like he's told to and says to me later " Mom, I was shaking but I'm really good at treading water."
Is it that my daughter swims effortlessy, doing the front crawl like you wouldn't believe, yet at 3yrs of age she adamantly refused to put even her chin in the water at the toddler lessons?
Swimming lessons are different than other sports. There's no protective gear, no team mate to pass it to, no position that you're better at so that's where you stay. It's you against the pull of gravity....sink or swim.... and they win the game everyday at that pool. Man they're cool!
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