Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Category: The Lake

  • Coffee on the dock

    It’s 6:30am and I’m just about to head down to the dock with a couple of cups of coffee and some reading material, it’s a clear sunny morning.

    Yesterday was a bunch of firsts for the year as we wend into Kenora by boat to pick up a few things. First boat trip, first Starbucks in Kenora, first sighting of a water skier without a wet suit, first time we docked at Annishinabie Park and walked up to Wal-Mart. I can’t believe how much shopping we did on such a nice summer weekend. Well, some of it was almost mandatory as we needed eggs and a wireless router. Yeah, the Linksys was acting funny the lat time we were out and this weekend it was dead, no lights, no blinking no nothing.

    I thought I’d just get another Linksys, but ended up with a Belkin and saved $25 plus it has a couple of features the Linksys doesn’t and a life time warranty. That could come in handy.

    I can hear the eagle out the front windows, so I think I’ll take the camera and my reading material and head off to the dock. There is a light breeze building, who knows, perhaps there will be some sailing. Where is my sailing buddy?

  • Treasure hunt update

    This morning Eric, Dez, Scott and I went hunting for treasure.  Dez found the first two, Eric found three more, I found a couple to save myself some $s and unfortunately, Scott didn’t fine any. Good thing it’s his birthday! 

    Happy Birthday Scott!

  • Changes in Kenora

    It’s the first summer weekend at the lake and we stopped in at Safeway to pick up a couple of things that were forgotten at home and some things are changing.

    For many years not too much wold change in Kenora from year to year, but then things started to happen. A new Canadian Tire on the waterfront, Tim Hortons, and then a Wallmart and a bigger Canadian Tire. This year it seems to be Safeway’s turn.

    As we pull into the parking lot the outside of the store is getting a make over and it seems to be pushing out a little farther. On the inside, they are getting the same Safeway look that came to stores in Winnipeg last year. But the best change is just in side the door, it’s the Starbucks kiosk!

    That’s right, thanks to Safeway, Starbucks hits the little town of Kenora. A couple of years ago a place called HoJoes

    HoJoes
    HoJoes
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

    opened on the main drag, and we thought a good cup of coffee had finally come to Kenora, after all Tim Hortons can’t really be called coffee. But despite the free internet access and the nice atmosphere the HoJo coffee is still awful. Granted, Safeway ambience is lacking quite a bit but you can step out side and across the road and gaze out over beautiful Lake of the Woods.

    I think I’ll need to do more grocery shopping this year, and Safeway makes a nice biking destination for a 20km round trip for a cup of jo

  • Treasure Hunt

    I’m initiating a treasure hunt, complete with rewards. But, you’ll need to be family to participate. Here is the deal. Have a look at the map. There are 8 objects to be found. Please don’t move them. Each one, when you are the first to show it to me is worth $20. So all up, there is $160 to be won for a little bush wacking.

    Good luck treasure hunters. Of course if I find them first, well no money for you!

  • Running Water


    Reflections
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

    We’re at the lake this weekend and the weather is great. We’ve actually been suntanning on the dock! As you can see from the photo, there is no running water yet, just me, running for water.

    After fetching some water, it was breakfast and then a couple of cup of coffee while I tried to make a router think it was a wireless router. Then some reading on the deck. I’m reading The DNA of Relationships, which I’d highly recommend for anyone. It’s all about taking responsibility for your self and how you think and feel.

    Only a couple of time in the history of the cottage have we conducted a pre-opening before the May long weekend. May long weekend has always been in my family the weekend that we made the first trip of the year to the cottage and “opened up”. This mean things like getting the water running, putting in the boats, and doing a little spring cleaning. This year, while it’s quite warm this weekend, I won’t be turning on the water just yet. There is still lots of ice on the lake

    Reflections
    Reflections
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

    and temperatures are still going below zero over night. But, I’ve prepped the boats, re-connected most of the water system components, re-assembled the septic system where possible (the holding tanks are still frozen), and set out the chairs and loungers on the dock. Whew, all that work called for some lazing around on the dock, and lovely snack prepared by Shirley and a small cat nap.

    It’s too nice to sleep the day away so I grab the camera and head out to the point to check out my trail and take some photos. As I emerged from the trail back on to the road I was greeted by two guys leaning on an ATV, and it seems like they were waiting to talk to me. It was quite interesting, ask me about it sometime.

    Back at the ranch, somebody is sleeping. Zzzzzz,  Zzzzz, Zzzzz. The lake has a tendency to slow you down a little and make it seem quite exceptable to nap the late afternoon away.

  • Wakeboarding


    Wakeboarding
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

    I was cleaning up my home office and came across a photo album. Well of course I had to stop working and flip through the photos. There were lots of great shots from the lake, biking at Maah Daah Hey, parties and graduations.

    This one really brought back some memories of a great day with friends at Granite Lake. I even took a couple of runs on the wakeboard for the first time. But, I wasn’t flying over the wake like this!

  • Closing up


    Dock Shot #2
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

    This photo says it all. The leaves are turning and falling. It’s the Thanksgiving weekend and we’re at the lake to close up for the season.

    The weather is very nice on Saturday, hitting 21C with a light overcast. After a couple of cups of coffee on the dock, we’re having breakfast with Scott & Mandi who are down for the weekend with Shirley & I. After breakfast we head back down to the dock to deal with the two new floating docks. In the end we decide to put the good one, the one that got renovated, in between to docks and leave the other one tied up parallel to the dock, pretty much where it’s spent the summer. Only time will tell if this was a good way to store them for the winter. They are just too heavy to get on shore.

    With the boat & dock work completed, we take the rest of the day off and head into town. Scott & Mandi do a little shopping and Shirley & I take a walk on the Tunnel Island trails. We rendezvous back at Ho-Jos for some Kenora Mist’s. After a great steak dinner, we play Tile Rummy and Mandi & I clean up.

    Sunday it’s all about putting the cottage to bed for the winter. Scott & I handle the outside chores and Mandi & Shirley pack up the kitchen & clean the cottage. By 1:15, we’re done and heading home. It was quite windy all last night and into the day. Thankfully, there was no rain we were sheltered from the west wind.

    Farewell to Kenora was celebrated by a stop at the Chip Truck and the Dairy Queen. It was a great summer at the lake.

  • End of the season

    It’s been quite a while since I posted on the original theme of Tempus Fugit and that is “Time Flies”. It seems appropriate at this moment as the summer season is winding down and I’m sitting at the dining room table at the lake looking out over the bay. It’s a little overcast, a little cool and there will only be one more weekend at the lake this season. Where did the time go?

    On Thanksgiving weekend in two weeks we’ll be back to shut down the water system and put everything away for the winter. While we might make two or three visits between then an May long weekend 2007, this is just about it for the year.

    It’s been a good summer for being at the lake. We made some extra effort to spend more weekends, created a few extra long weekends, and schedule vacation time to enjoy the season which was very warm and bug free this year.

    At the start of the summer everything seems so long and there is the sense that there will be plenty of time for everthing. Then somehow, at the end of the summer, there are still things left un-done, and you wonder how the time slipped by. However, I’m not feeling too much of that this year as we really tried to get around and do some different things as well as just relax and enjoy the doing nothing times. Of course, I wish there had been more family times at the lake but distances and work schedules conspired to limit the opportunities. There were some great family times, but I could go for a few more. Well, with a long life ahead there is still time for more of everything.

    The best is yet to come.

  • Roadkill, what is it?


    Roadkill, what is it?
    Originally uploaded by Big Dadoo.

    Well, perhaps not technically road kill, but I did find it on the road dead. It doesn’t appear to have been run over so the exact cause of death is unknown. I also am not sure exactly what it is. Do you have any ideas? I’ll just add it to the wild life sightings this year at the lake.

  • Pirate Ship

    I promised more on the Pirate Ship sighting, so here is the straight goods. There are pirates roaming the bay in front of our cottage on Lake of the Woods!

    Last Sunday we spotted their ship and took our own ship out for an exploratory mission. As we approached the pirate ship, which was flying a very official looking Skull & Crossbones flag, we were greeted by several young pirates on board looking quite friendly any waving at us to come closer.

    As we slowly approached the excitement on their ship seemed to increase. Were they really that glad to see us? Then we could hear whispers, “wait until they get a little closer”, what could this mean? Then, with a flurry of action a towel was whipped off what looked like a turret mounted machine gun on the fordeck and the sounds of a gas powered water pump roared to life. The machine gun was actually a water canon and we were under attack! After getting quite soaked we beat a hasty retreat, obviously over powered by superior fire power. As we returned to the dock we started formulating plans for our response to the pirate ship. Perhaps as British Man of War. Hmmmmm. 

    Lake – Good Times – Tempus Fugit

    Then there was the pirate ship sighting. Yes, that’s right a pirate ship, complete with a water canon, pirates and flying a very official looking Skull and Cross bones flag above a make shift sail with a emblazed with a Canterbury Cross. But there are no pictures.

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