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[Monday, July 22, 2002: Tying the knots.]
After throwing my stuff into the cottage, I followed the group and headed down to the lake. The cottage was built at the top of a rather large hill that overlooked the lake and surrounding area. (It was on a penninsula actually, but because of the trees, you can only see out the back.)
I was amazed to find out that I wasn't the youngest one there. One of the kids had shown up and proceeded to bounce around us as we headed for the water. The population of bugs decreased as we neared the shore, but I still complained bitterly about the huge number of pests, the girl (LB) quiped,
"Don't use soap or shampoo."
So I complained,
"So how am I supposed to get clean?"
To which there was no reply. Besides, she was already thirty paces ahead by then. *puts hands on hips*
I guess the perfume in most soaps and shampoos will attract the bugs, but the stuff I use (Ivory and Herbal Essences) isn't scented. At least not to my knowledge.
![[Overlooking Lake Vernon.]](../Pictures/2002-03-03/2002-06-22a.jpg)
At the end of the broomball season, I (along with the rest of the broomball players) was invited out to SS's cottage up in the Muskokas. I figured that I take up that offer and visit the back country since I haven't vacationed up there in a long time..
The first thing one notices when you start wandering around the property was the view. There was a great view of the lake from the back of the house, and the lookout post situated halfway down to the water is an ideal spot to relax and enjoy the scenery.
This is a picture taken from the lookout point on the way to the dock.
Anyway, we made it down to the dock after stopping every now and then to enjoy the view. The view was spectacular from the various spots along the path, and the weather, although a tad humid, wasn't so bad. If you removed the bugs, it would've been quite nice.
After hanging around the dock for a while, PK, JT, and I went out in the canoe to paddle around for a while. Since I was the last one in the boat, I ended up in the middle and didn't get to paddle. That was unfortunate since I haven't gone canoeing for many years. I think the last time I went canoeing was in grade eight. Ah yes, that trip ended in.. muck, but that's a story for another time.
Anyhoo, we paddled around for a bit, enjoying the bug free lake, until we headed back to the dock. As we disembarked, LB jumped in with the intention of going out in the canoe and wanted people to go along with her. This was a good time for me to get my paddling time in, and LH joined us in the ballast position. I sat in the back and LB asked me,
"Can you steer?"
Uhh.. maybe. I decided to give it a try since.. what can go wrong right? (Flip.)
Well, no sooner did we leave the dock when we began to head dangerously close to the shore. LB kept yelling back at me to steer, but I was to intent on conserving energy that we scraped by the rocks. After that, we stopped off at another dock where she kicked me out of the back and I ended up in the front position.
So off we went (again). This time we went in the opposite direction as my first sortee and eventually lost sight of the dock. We paddled around for a bit, with LB in the back trying to play some word games with the reluctant elders in front of her. (LH wasn't in the mood, and my brain was fried.) But she was undaunted, and kept talking, and talking, and talking and.. (Where does all of this energy come from?)
Anyhoo, we made it back to the dock in one piece, despite having a novice rower in the front and a kid in the back.
I can't remember how it started. I think she challanged me to something and I chided her, or maybe she tried to boast and I didn't believe her. In any case, she took out some rope from the canoe and began to tie my legs together. I looked at PK, who I was talking to at the time, and commented,
"This can't be good."
I was right. I figured that if I resisted a bit that she'd relent, but that only made her tie more fiercely. So as I tried to untangle myself from the strands of rope, I began to realize that this kid wouldn't stop! Well this meant war! I decided to fight fire with fire and began tying her legs together with the other end of the rope. So the battle was waged, with me tying and her trying to escape or visa versa. Eventually, we were so entangled together that RD quiped,
"I'm going to tell SS that the two of you have tied the knot."
Of course nobody came to my rescue, so I was to fend for myself.
This war continued for a good half-hour before the two of us were too tired to continue. Well, at least I was. I think she was ready for another round! In any case, after that knotty incident, she stuck to me like glue.
