Horse Lake, Wednesday Morning

It was a combination of heavy rain on the roof, bursting bladder and Gilbert whimpering to be let up on the bed with his love Laura. I had to pee.  The rain was like someone running a tap.  I let Gilbert up.  Then I peed. Then I was awake. Not happy. Awake. It’s pissing rain outside.

I know the fish are most likely biting.  I just don’t want to get wet and love the cozy comfort of my Adventurer camper.  

I’ve had two cups of espresso coffee but my mood isn’t improved.  It’s pretty now outside. All green and happy grass and forest looking. I walked the dog and it was squishy but smelled lovely. I am thankful to be back inside.  Laura says that it’s supposed to be sunny later.  If I go back to sleep I might wake up  less crotchety. I used to go hunting and fishing or assist in surgery in this state of mind.  Functional.  But why. I’ve got steaks in the fridge. It’s warm inside. I didn’t bring foul weather gear. This is my summer vacation. I have bathing suits and sun tan lotion. I’ve done my share of winter sailing. I’ve gone through the ice twice in the north, one on a skidoo and once on snowshoes.  I don’t like cold and wet. I’ve caught hundreds of fish and shoot moose. I’ve nothing to prove. 

I just don’t like on one hand that I’ve become a whimp and on the other hand I revel in it.  Apparently this is  allowed in older folk. It’s part of being older. 

I understand why the gods went into nursing homes for the clean sheets in  Douglas Adam’s, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.  I’ve become a hedonist or epicurean with age. I was such a good Stoic when I was younger. I so admired Marcus Aurelius 

Yesterday I made it out on the lake with my new skookum Colorado XT pontoon boat.  I had the Motorguide Energy  electric motor on and was trolling but couldn’t keep the rudderless boat going straight so was doing S curves ,passing my rod back and forth, such that other fisherman later laughed about the Slalom Trolling Technique.  Theoretically it would work, but it wasn’t intentional. I did a lot of donuts too trying to sort out the rudderless boat. Finally I ran out of battery power and had to row myself back at noon with winds coming up.  A few hours of entertainment and some fishing even.   

I rode the KTM 690 enduro motorcycle into town to get a battery charger from Lordco. I’d bought the  the battery the day before without thinking I’d need to recharge it.   Sometimes I don’t think things through. 

This morning I saw that my battery charger had recharged my battery. The instruction manual said the green light was ‘good to go’.  It took hours.  I’d thought of getting an electric quad for hunting but I’d only get a few hours use then with my generator needing to charge it all night. I don’t have the high speed generators that folk plug into in the city.  So I’m still loving gas.  I could have brought my Honda 2.5 outboard but I thought this lake only allowed electric.  Not true. I love my little Honda and all I’d have needed yesterday was a little tank like we always take when we go fishing for back up.  The oars worked.  I needed the exercise. But my shoulder’s are still hurting today.  

What I really want to do is ride my motorcycle into the back woods to try out my new Chiappa Double Badger, a 2 barrel, over under 22 LR and 20 Guage shot gun. 2 separate triggers for the single shots.  It’s folding so I can carry it on my motorcycle on the back trails. I usually see the grouse in the woods and shoot them with a head shot with the 22 but if I miss, it flies up or a second flies up ,I have the 20 guage.  Nothing I love more than grouse hunting.  Delicious little chickens. I cube the breast and slow fry it in butter and marmalade. Mmmmm.

I also bought Merrel waterproof sandals. They are like the Teva’s I had white water canoeing.  I’ve Keen’s leather sandals which I love but they’re not suited for the wet as much as the Merrell and Teva.  I bought Laura a pink Swiss Army Knife and Gilbert some pepperoni. For a guy who wanted to be in the wilds I’ve sure enjoyed the exhilarating high speed back roads motorcycle rides to and from 100 mile House. I love 100 mile House.  Great town. Great people. Everything a person could want in the middle of God’s country.  

I’ve been enjoying photography.  Bonaparte Gulls, Bank Swallows, Mallard Ducklings and Greater Scaup family.  The Nikon Coolpix P1000 is turning out to be the best little bird camera I’ve ever had.  I loved the iPhone camera for city, people and architecture photography in India last year.  I remember my first Nikon 500 telephoto lens.  At the time I liked writing and sitting in outdoor cafe’s in foreign countries snapping pictures surreptitiously of people going about their normal routines.  I have some especially memorable shots from Mexico, a group of children getting water in a bucket from the village wel. .  Another memorable shot was in south France, a man shoeing a donkey attached to a cart beside a new black mercedes.  That was when I was interested in publishing photography and stories nationally and internationally. 

 That was before I joined the Canadian Author’s Association and discovered the blog. I enjoy this writing and putting photographs up on the same day. It’s like the crack cocaine experience for writers and photographers. I’ve joined photographs together with my thoughts, a journal of sorts mostly. It’s in someway reminiscent of the  newspaper column my mom wrote, her thoughts on gardening, raising kids, community events.  She wrote. Dad took pictures and the sons and grandson’s continue to be photographers. 

I really have enjoyed the bird photography here.  I just take my camera along when I’m walking Gilbert. He’s enjoying it here and loves our walks together.  It’s peaceful.  Even today, a rainy overcast day, it’s beautiful. I love looking out the window of the camper at all the green and nature.  The mist is rising over the lake and clouds are hanging in the hills. I’ve begun an exciting western and figure I’ll climb back in bed with Laura and Gilbert to read, maybe even nap.  Gilbert got me up, made me walk him and now he’s back in bed asleep.  Typical dog.