Tuesday, July 25/2017

Big River

Today, was a "jeep" ride day.  We took Casey's little jeep and headed down the North Road.  We accessed the Big River Grid and headed towards several lakes in the area.  Our first stop was at the access to Poplar Ridge Lake.  A great lake that is loaded with trout.  Unfortunately, the access was blocked by a huge water puddle and with the jeep not equipped with a winch, to enter the water, not knowing what the bottom was like would be foolish.  It would be a very LONG walk home and no one was interested in entertaining that thought.  Fortunately, John was on board with this line of thinking and  turned around.  By the time we made it the few hundred yards back to the grid, the truck was heating and needed a "bit of a rest"!!  Well, it was time for a refreshment anyway!!
We were soon underway and John turned down the road that eventually would access Green Lake. Before too long, we were once again stopped by a huge water puddle.  Again, the dilemma presents its self - do we enter the unknown or do we turn around!!!    Once again, John made the right decision......we turned around!!  I really hate not having a winch on the truck but this little jeep of Casey's is in the "early" stages of  its four wheeling life!!
We continued on down the road and accessed the trail head that would lead us to Hunter Lake.  We knew that we would be unable to get to the lake but there was an awesome lookout point at the start of the trail that was accessible and we headed for that.   It was an easy trail and we were soon at the stop where we could overlook the river.  It was time to just sit and enjoy the scenery and the peace and quiet that is so often associated with this Northern Forest.

Overlooking the river

Watching a family of ducks - does it get any better?

While sitting on the hill, we decided that it was time to brave the trail to Hunter Lake on the quads and thought that the weekend would be an ideal time to do it.  Maybe Dave, Shirley and Gary would join us.
From the hill over the river, we continued on and wound up at Bug Lake.  It is a nice little lake that contains northern pike and pickeral.  Gary and I have fished here a few times.

Kelly and Marie at Bug Lake

Kelly

With another refreshment stop behind us, we left the road and headed down a trail that would take us past Twin Lakes and the base of Mystery Hill.  It was a nice trail and popped us back out onto the road that ran past Lac Eau Claire.  We accessed another trail off the road and found ourselves on the hill overlooking part of Lac Eau Claire (Clearwater Lake).

Clear Water Lake

Always messing around

Supergirl pose

Goofing around on the hill

From Clearwater, we hit the trail that would lead us to Huard Lake.  We were soon enjoying yet another refreshment break.  Kelly was running out of cigarettes (and she is quite bitchy when that happens!) so we had to send an SOS to Gary. With any luck, we would be able to contact him and have him meet us on the North Road with the much needed cigarettes!!  Luck was on our side and we did manage to get through and we were soon headed down the trail towards the North Road and the cigarettes!!
The only obstacle in our way now was the "bridge" over the beaver run and the surrounding the marsh.  Hopefully it will be sturdy enough for the jeep!!  I know the kids crossed it with their jeeps but it is always a worry for me.
We arrived unscathed at the corner of Tower Road and the North Road expecting to see Gary there but he was not.   Shit, Oh Dear......Kelly was REALLY needing a cigarette!!
He headed for home, not seeing Gary and were soon in the yard where Kelly was able to get to her pack of smokes and soon after.......all was good with the world!!  LOL  "I really need to quit smoking" was all that Kelly said and both John and I agreed!!
Gary arrived back at the house and told us he had gone down into Vimy to find us instead of the Tower Road and that is why we had missed him.  Oh well, Kelly had her cigarettes and now it was time to think about starting supper.

John and his "selfies"!!

At Huard Lake

Kelly decided to share her recipe for Mushroom Gravy that her Dad perfected so supper was Kelly's deal tonight.   She got busy cutting her portabello mushrooms and sauteed them with butter, onion and a ton of dillweed.  Oh dear,  that smelt soooo very good.
We had perogies and farmer sausage for supper smothered with mushroom gravy.  It was beyond delicious.

What u cooking Kelly?

We spent the rest of the evening in the mancave watching TV and relaxing.  It had been a good day and the quiet of the rest of the evening was awesome.    Life is Good!!

Monday, July 24/2017

Kelly at the start of the day, hung over

Kelly at the end of the day, feeling better

Today was a work day for me so I was up early and headed over to the nursing home.  It would be a "quiet" day in the yard with both John and Kelly sleeping in while I was blessed to be up and out of the house by 7:30 in the morning!!  Somehow, this seems so very unfair!!  LOL.   Oh well, we all have our own ways to relax!!
Working with the aged in the nursing home is a change of pace for me and in its own way, very relaxing.

Sunday, July 23/2017

Riding in the Block

Today, we took the quads down into "The Block" for a ride to Harry Piche's Cabin.  Kelly had never been there before and was anxious to see it.
Casey had wanted to show Megan the houseboat on Heart Lake so planned on taking the jeep down there.   Before he left though he had to get the front tire back onto the bead so took the tire over to Dave's so that his big compressor could blow it back on.  That being done, he then took the jeep over to the video store to get gas and when he was coming back, somehow "LOST" that same front tire!! Seriously, one minute it was on the truck and the next, it was rolling down the road in front of him and crashed into the fence.  Holy Shit balls......someone obviously forgot to tighten the lug nuts....SERIOUSLY!!   Not naming any names but once again the golf ball incident crossed my mind!!
My only response was to say "you better get that tire back on that truck before your Dad sees that or he is going to lose it".   And I did mention that he was to get the other 400.00 he owed on the jeep and hand it over because this deal with his Dad and him was over.  Casey could be the sole owner of the jeep as I was not going to listen to all the whining about the abuse that poor unsuspecting vehicle was about to encounter!!  He could smash and crash it until the cows came home for all I cared and once John did hear about the "tire" incident, he agreed with me!!
Casey, Megan and the kids headed off to Heart Lake along with Dylan.  He had managed to "dry out" his truck so that was a good thing they had two vehicles to go with as one never knows what the trail will be like along Deer Lake.
We too headed out with Kelly and Gary.  Our adventure was about to begin too.

Muddy trails along Deer Lake

Our first stop was along side Deer Lake and then we stopped at the Trail head to Heart Lake.  We got there in time to hear vehicles coming down the trail and it turned out to be Casey and his gang.  They had been to the lake and were now headed back to Leoville as they still had to pack up and head back to Saskatoon tonight.  They had had a good weekend and were hoping to get back up here in the near future.

Sandy trails along Hooker Lake

Gary, Kelly, John and I continued down the trail and soon accessed Lilac Trail .  This trail is always a good ride and we were not disappointed today.  Of course we encountered one nasty wet spot and Kelly ended up getting muddy but she did manage to make it through!!

Kelly

There was only one camper at Hooker Lake and that was a bit unusual as there are usually a few setting up for the summer there.  The area is growing in pretty good and that is not a bad thing.  The lake itself supports a supply of northern pike and there is always a nesting pair on Loons on the lake as well.   Today was no different and we were blessed to hear their signature call.

Wild Asters at the Piche Cabin

We arrived at the cabin and Kelly was pretty happy to get to see it.  She could not believe that it has been left alone for all these years.  Although I am sure there has been a few thefts through the years, the cabin and contents has virtually remained the same as when Harry himself lived there.  His family keep it in shape and it is like a haven in the forest for whoever may need shelter.  It is a peaceful place and since Harry's ashes are buried on site, the government can not have the place removed and THAT is a very good thing!!

Bluebells

Posing in the old truck

Of course we had to go past the "old truck" so that Kelly could get a picture of her quad inside the back of it.   It is a tradition really.  Everyone gets their picture in the back of the truck.
From here we headed over to the warm up shelter as it was time to start heading for home.  The shelter is always a good place to stop and rest and today was no different.  Kelly had never been here either so she was seeing all sorts of things for the first time.

Deer - not too concerned with us though

Snowmobile warm up shelter

Timberlost Cemetery

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Of course the trail from the shelter to Lilac Trail is always and adventure and John was certainly not going to be not having any fun.   He managed to once again, tip the side by side into a muddy puddle of water and needed to trusty old winch to get us righted again.    Kelly thought that was rather funny and made sure she took pictures of me getting my ass wet!!    We were soon back on the wheels and headed down the trail where we stopped along side Deer Lake to watch a very industrious beaver hauling a tree branch behind him.  I am sure there will be another beaver pond along the trail in the near future thanks to this little guy!!

Busy beaver

Kelly in Deer Lake - cleaning her rims

We washed the mud off our wheels and sat for a beer while we watched the sun set on the lake.  It was a beautiful sight and the peace and quiet that surrounded us was great.  We are sooo blessed to live in this incredible area.   And yes, I know, I have said this before!

Sunset on Deer Lake

Heading home

We arrived home safe and sound and ready to just sit without moving!!  Quadding is fun but sitting in a stationary recliner has its good points too.    It was time for a vodka and wait for John to cook our supper!!  Life is most definitely GOOD!!

Saturday, July 22/2017

Saturday arrived sunny and bright.  It was going to be an awesome lake day.  Of course the ones that stayed up late last night couldn't pull themselves out of bed so the morning started off rather slowly.
Kayton (Kelly's grandaughter),  had stayed over for the night and Casey told her Mom that he would drive her over to the lake today.  So, that was the plan.  Megan and Dylan were supposed to be joining him along with Megan's two kids but those two were definitely NOT GETTING UP, so Casey ended up taking the two dogs and Kayton in the jeep and headed out.
Kelly decided to take a trip over to the lake as well and hang out with the kids as there really was nothing planned for today here in Leoville.
I found myself spending a quiet day in the man cave and enjoying the peace and quiet.
Dylan and Megan eventually got moving and took the kids over to the lake to meet Casey.  They would be returning later in the day.
By the snap chats that were posted, it looks like fun was had by all.  They took a quick trip up to Mystery Hill and then it was time for Casey and his crew to head back here to Leoville.
Shortly after he left the lake, I got a message from Kelly saying that Casey had forgot Booko but not to worry, she would watch him and bring him home when she came.   Good Grief....how does one forget the dog???  I simply shake my head and can't help but think that the golf ball to his forehead when he was 7 years old did indeed cause some damage despite the doctors claiming otherwise!! More grey hair coming my way....I really am thinking about highlights again!!
I had told Casey to not go by Vimy Lake as there were some pretty deep and nasty holes along the trail but I am sure that was simply a red flag challenge for him and of course why would he listen to his Mother!!
As it turned out, Dylan swamped his jeep and had to be towed and Casey ended up knocking his front tire off the bead so had a flat and no spare.  Good thing it happened right at the creek as Dave and Shirley were there with the side by sides so were able to give the kids a ride back into Leoville.
Dave ended up taking Casey back to Vimy for the truck rescue and eventually they made it home with the little "baby" spare tire shredded beyond repair.
There were a few new dents in the fender of the jeep and it looked as if it had gone for a bath as there was water and mud on the inside!!   Good Grief......good thing I had not had time to clean the inside of it yet.   Of course the dents and the water was all it took for John to reconsider the "share the jeep" deal with Casey!!
Another busy day for a few and a quiet day for others.   Everyone did their own thing and that was good.
It was burgers for supper and everyone headed for bed early - especially the partiers from last night. It is funny how that happens!!  Life is Good.......

Friday, July 21/2017

Kelly

Friday brought sunshine and the promise of company.  The Kids are starting their holidays and will be stopping by on their way to Lac Eau Claire.  They have a site booked for two weeks so once again, it is going to be a busy few weeks.   Holy Buckets......John and I will have to go to Arizona this year to just rest up from our busy summer!

Jace and Neena

The kids arrived and stopped by for a few beverages and to put on water, get ice and of course buy beer!!  One can not go to the lake without a few essentials!!

Preston and Kayla

Casey, Megan and her kids arrived along with Dylan (one of Casey's longtime friends), and we were soon all sitting around the campfire.  Eventually the "lake" kids took off and we then only had Casey and his gang to hang with.
They were hoping for a good weekend of offroading, fun and frolic.

Kelly and Mason

As usual, it was a late night (this is really starting to be a habit) for some of us and tomorrow was going to be a busy day......again!!    Life is Good

Thursday, July 20/2017

Marie caught the biggest fish

Well, after our late night last night, Kelly and I decided that today was a fishing day so we headed over to Little Shell Lake to throw a few hooks at the Northern Pike.  We packed some refreshments, the umbrellas (just in case) and climbed into the truck and away we went.
We caught 6 worth keeping and threw the little ones back with a promise that we would return another day to catch them when the "grew up".
We had to use the umbrellas twice as we we did get rained upon.  That of course did not stop us from fishing, only more determined!!

Booko chillin

We headed to shore with our 6 fish and our mouths watering in eager anticipation of a wonderful fish fry tonight.  We told John before we left that he was cooking and we were looking forward to the biggest "pig out" of fresh fish this year.
Our trip home was an adventure in itself.  Kelly did not pay enough attention to how the transom fit onto the motor when she bought the new motor so we were plagued by stupidity on the way home.  It is a good thing that the road was not busy as we had to stop twice to "fix" it and when we finally did get back to Leoville found out that we still had the damn thing on wrong!!  LOL    Women!!    John just shook his head!!
Kelly is an expert fish filleter so she got busy and dealt with the fish while I got everything else ready for the "fish and chips".  John cooked and before too long, we were stuffed almost to the point of not being able to move!!   I was an awesome meal and the best part was that we still had enough for another feed!!   Life is Good!!

Wednesday, July 19/2017

Wild Asters - Fall flowers

Wednesday arrived in the midst of some awesome sunshine.  I arrived home at about 8:30 and headed to bed.  I had planned to sleep for only a short time and then get up to do "something" today.

Butterfly on the Asters

We ended up jumping into the jeep (Casey and John have gone together on an old "trail" jeep) and headed down the North Road.   We were going to spent some time on the shores of Buck Lake.  It is nestled in the forest not too far from Leoville and is peaceful and simply a very nice place to have a cold "forest" beer. It is one of our favourite spots to be here in the Northern Forest.  We look down onto the lake and can see all sorts of interesting wildlife.

Lounging at Buck Lake

Booko, Mason and Kelly in the back seat

The first tiger lilies I have seen this year

We spent a little while at Buck then headed back towards Leoville.  John decided to do a tour at 8 Mile so we headed down the logging road and over towards the snowmobile shelter.  We had heard that there were a few challenging  spots along the trail but it turned out to be an easy trail to traverse in the jeep.  We arrived at the shelter in no time and had a beer there before we headed back to town. So far, it had been a good day with us enjoying the forest and the added bonus of NOT getting sruck!!

Beverage at the shelter

Nice sunset

We arrived back in Leoville where Kelly started making her Dad's famous mushroom sauce.  It was interesting watching her make it and when it was done, it was delicious.  I now have the recipe tucked away in my mind so that I will be able to make it when I get to Arizona.  I am sure Kay will enjoy it as much as I did.

Suppertime

Tonight's sunset was pretty awesome and we ended up staying up rather late!!   Too late for us old farts but I had just come off a night shift so wasn't tired.  Well, that is my story and I'm sticking to it!! Suffice it to say, there was alcohol involved.....and a campfire!!   Life is Good!!