So I used to think, if you didn't have an epic adventure on a long weekend, well, it was a waste of a weekend. Part of me still thinks that, but the other part of me needs some down time between adventures.
June and July was the Arctic trip. It was educational, it was beautiful, it was exhausting... I got back on a Thursday, and I spent the whole weekend sleeping, catching up with people I hadn't seen and, most importantly, taking care of my precious garden.
The weekend after that I would have been in the mood to go spend some time on the Bay, but I had missed my birthday with the Arctic trip and, dammit, I wanted my birthday party! So HP and I threw ourselves a party. Mostly, we bought a lot of beer and a lot of food and neglected to really invite people (HP was off on his motorcycle trip to the West Coast and only got back the day before the party) but, lucky for us, people came anyway. But having a party on Saturday night means you spend all of Saturday doing menial tasks like cutting the grass, moving picnic tables and filling tiki torches with citronella oil. And you spend the day after feeling a little slow, and not doing much more than going for an afternoon wander on the Bruce Trail with Lorenz and Vanessa. Or at least that's how I spent my Sunday...
And then there was the long weekend. You'd think, by now, I'd have plans! Big plans! And of course I did, I wanted to go to the camp. Markus and Matthias were going, I haven't been home all summer and... I just couldn't do it. I had too much to do to contemplate battling traffic and getting back late on Monday night only to go to work first thing on Tuesday morning. So I spent a day on the Bruce Peninsula, doing a very easy hike out of Cyprus Lake. I spent a day in and out of the pool. I went gear shopping, and I lusted after some Lawren Harris prints and books. I cut some more grass. And I got my gear organized!
That's right. I'm about to use my gear! I cleaned my stove and lubricted the pump cup, I made sure the water filter is working, I filled the butane lighter, I changed the batteries in the headlamp, I collected a full set of lexan cutlery, I located my dry bags and compression stuff sacks. Obviously, I'm heading out on a trip! And given all the gear maintenance, it's not a weekender... Nope! It's my vacation, starting Thursday night! And I can't frickin' wait!
The plan is to go to the Mingan Archipelago (find Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Go due north until you hit land. You're there). It's a Sam Wyss special, meaning that the trip will be well organized and there will be no slacker paddlers on it (except perhaps me!). And because it's so far to drive for paddling, my trip includes part 2: the hiking portion. It will be the self-propelled wilderness travel fortnight of the summer. Hurrah.
There is still a "to do" list (other than the neverending work to do list which, if I were to write it down and print it out, would make the printer run out of paper). Buy batteries for GPS. Waterproof maps. Put food together. Do laundry, select clothing, pack it. Gather road maps. Ensure that I have both paddling and hiking gear. But mostly, I'm ready! The gear is clean and packed in duffel bags. The hotel reservation is made for the trip up there. The excitement level is high.
I hope nothing jinxes it.
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It's a different sort of summer this year. Not only am I busier than ever, I have not been as content to stay put in a long time either. Living in paradise has that effect. I have this garden which has turned me into a major plant geek: I lust after perennials. I have hollyhock envy. I gloat over my nasturtiums. I spend time trying to figure out the very best place for impatiens. I can't get enough of my garden project.
Inevitable signs of growing up: excitement over kitchen stores and plant sales. In my early 20s, I discovered that my reaction to kitchen gadgets was no longer an automatic yawn. But there is only so much crap you need, and I've got all the stuff I could possibly want. It's not like I actually spend any time cooking, after all. The last small appliance I bought was the dehydrator (which has been running full tilt given the camping adventure preparation). I need nothing (I aspire to get to the point where even gear stores leave me this blase). But I can't drive past a nursery without lusting after stuff for the garden.
Just imagine what would happen if I had a baby. I would annoy all my friends to tears, because likely I would talk of nothing else. Chances are, I would get over my intolerance of big box stores and haunt Toys-R-Us. Luckily for both my friends and my lifestyle, there is none of that in my near future and I'll stick to obsessing about my plants.
But all this playing in the garden and going on *big* trips means that the little weekenders have fallen by the wayside, and I miss them! I miss paddling on the Bay, I miss feeling like Parry Sound is my backyard, I miss having the kayak cradles permanently on my car.
Summer is just too short.
Posted by Johanna at August 4, 2004 02:31 PM