Zach LarkinsVACATION (Part 3)
"The rhythm of my heart is beating like a drum,
When the words ‘I love you' come rolling off my tongue,
Never will I roam,
For I know my place is home,
Where the ocean meets the sky, I'll be sailing.........."
Rod Stewart
With the car safely parked and locked, we head up to the lounge area and claim a seat with a small round table. After enjoying a drink, we decide to stroll the decks for some fresh air. This is just plain BS as we are looking for a place to have a smoke. It's forbidden to smoke anywhere on board and it can get tricky trying to sneak one as the ship is under surveillance, but I couldn't detect any cameras. We found a spot between a couple of life jacket lockers and had a fast smoke before continuing our walk.
There is one deck on board where animals are allowed and this is a good thing. If you leave your pet in the car, you won't see it again for 2 hours as you are not allowed to return to the car once the ship is underway. It is amazing how the animals adjust to the sailing. They lie there like lumps on a log and you are lucky if even one of them so much as raises an eyebrow when you walk by. But this doesn't happen to me and TBH. She seems to exude some aura that calls dogs to her and they promptly jump up, waiting to be fussed over. And fuss them she does. There were about 10 dogs on the side of the ship we were on and they all got up in order as she passed by, in order to get some of the same that the previous hound did. It reminded me of the Queen reviewing the troops.
With that little chore finally complete, we headed for the ship's souvenier shop, ‘The Boatique'. Pretty clever of us crazy Canucks to come up with a word play like that, eh? Anyway, we wandered around in there for about 20 minutes and I have to say they really do have some nice stuff. Not all kitchy, doomed for the cottage stuff either. Most of this gear would be proudly displayed in any home. The only drawback is the prices they ask for it. Then you have to think about transporting it around with you for a week or two and then getting it home, all without breaking it. We looked, we touched, we passed.
Back out on deck on our way back to the lounge, we stopped for a minute to look over the rails. I hadn't realized how far out we were, and it got me to thinking. (Dangerous, I know, but I attempted it anyway) Here we are on a ship, going from point A to point B, a distance of 25 miles, and knowing where we will land in 2 hours. We're on a lake not noted for violent storms or anything like that and yet there is no land in sight. It is a windy day and the ship is pitching about 6 inches (should that be yawing?) making for difficult walking and even more difficult times in the restroom, if you happen to be sitting down. But I thought about those brave souls who came over here years ago. Colombus, Vespucci, Drake, Cook, De Gama, the Pilgrims, anyone who ventured out to sea in those days. They truly had a lot of faith and took their lives in their hands. No end in sight, no guarantees, no Game-Boys to play. Just cramped quarters and hard tack for dinner. Hell they didn't even have indoor plumbing. I've been on this journey before, but it hit me then just how brave those people really were.
The rest of the voyage passed by uneventfully although I think TBH was beginning to feel a touch of seasickness in the last 15 or so minutes. (She doesn't really do that well on water) We docked at South Baymouth and drove off the ferry toward the cottage.
"Roll, roll me away,
I want you to roll me away tonight,
I feel lost, I feel double crossed,
And I'm sick of what's wrong and what's right............"
Bob Seger
It had been a year since we were here last, but somehow the car knew where we were going. We didn't do the tourist thing like we did last year and follow the highway signs. We cut down the back roads and made the trip in about half the time it takes the first timers. We hit the camp and presented ourselves at the office to check-in.
It was homecoming day. The owner and her mother greeted us enthusiastically and said how much they'd missed us. None of us could believe it had been a year already and we couldn't escape their clutches until we'd shared a cup of coffee with them. It truly was wonderful. I reflected on the fact that in the city, people live in their homes or in their cars. There seems to be no intermingling with one another, no desire to meet or get to know your neighbour. And yet, the farther north we travelled, the more friendly people became. You could chat with them easily and get to really know them without being nosy. It is heavenly.
I was tired from the driving and begged off, so we headed to the cabin to begin the arduous task of unloading the car. I had thought that I was being clever when I told TBH that we didn't use a certain item last year so there's no sense carting it all the way up there this year. She demurely acquiesced but then proceeded to fill in empty spots in the trunk with other stuff. I got the privilege of unloading it all and while she unpacked, I had a nap.
(To be cont'd)
When the words ‘I love you' come rolling off my tongue,
Never will I roam,
For I know my place is home,
Where the ocean meets the sky, I'll be sailing.........."
Rod Stewart
With the car safely parked and locked, we head up to the lounge area and claim a seat with a small round table. After enjoying a drink, we decide to stroll the decks for some fresh air. This is just plain BS as we are looking for a place to have a smoke. It's forbidden to smoke anywhere on board and it can get tricky trying to sneak one as the ship is under surveillance, but I couldn't detect any cameras. We found a spot between a couple of life jacket lockers and had a fast smoke before continuing our walk.
There is one deck on board where animals are allowed and this is a good thing. If you leave your pet in the car, you won't see it again for 2 hours as you are not allowed to return to the car once the ship is underway. It is amazing how the animals adjust to the sailing. They lie there like lumps on a log and you are lucky if even one of them so much as raises an eyebrow when you walk by. But this doesn't happen to me and TBH. She seems to exude some aura that calls dogs to her and they promptly jump up, waiting to be fussed over. And fuss them she does. There were about 10 dogs on the side of the ship we were on and they all got up in order as she passed by, in order to get some of the same that the previous hound did. It reminded me of the Queen reviewing the troops.
With that little chore finally complete, we headed for the ship's souvenier shop, ‘The Boatique'. Pretty clever of us crazy Canucks to come up with a word play like that, eh? Anyway, we wandered around in there for about 20 minutes and I have to say they really do have some nice stuff. Not all kitchy, doomed for the cottage stuff either. Most of this gear would be proudly displayed in any home. The only drawback is the prices they ask for it. Then you have to think about transporting it around with you for a week or two and then getting it home, all without breaking it. We looked, we touched, we passed.
Back out on deck on our way back to the lounge, we stopped for a minute to look over the rails. I hadn't realized how far out we were, and it got me to thinking. (Dangerous, I know, but I attempted it anyway) Here we are on a ship, going from point A to point B, a distance of 25 miles, and knowing where we will land in 2 hours. We're on a lake not noted for violent storms or anything like that and yet there is no land in sight. It is a windy day and the ship is pitching about 6 inches (should that be yawing?) making for difficult walking and even more difficult times in the restroom, if you happen to be sitting down. But I thought about those brave souls who came over here years ago. Colombus, Vespucci, Drake, Cook, De Gama, the Pilgrims, anyone who ventured out to sea in those days. They truly had a lot of faith and took their lives in their hands. No end in sight, no guarantees, no Game-Boys to play. Just cramped quarters and hard tack for dinner. Hell they didn't even have indoor plumbing. I've been on this journey before, but it hit me then just how brave those people really were.
The rest of the voyage passed by uneventfully although I think TBH was beginning to feel a touch of seasickness in the last 15 or so minutes. (She doesn't really do that well on water) We docked at South Baymouth and drove off the ferry toward the cottage.
"Roll, roll me away,
I want you to roll me away tonight,
I feel lost, I feel double crossed,
And I'm sick of what's wrong and what's right............"
Bob Seger
It had been a year since we were here last, but somehow the car knew where we were going. We didn't do the tourist thing like we did last year and follow the highway signs. We cut down the back roads and made the trip in about half the time it takes the first timers. We hit the camp and presented ourselves at the office to check-in.
It was homecoming day. The owner and her mother greeted us enthusiastically and said how much they'd missed us. None of us could believe it had been a year already and we couldn't escape their clutches until we'd shared a cup of coffee with them. It truly was wonderful. I reflected on the fact that in the city, people live in their homes or in their cars. There seems to be no intermingling with one another, no desire to meet or get to know your neighbour. And yet, the farther north we travelled, the more friendly people became. You could chat with them easily and get to really know them without being nosy. It is heavenly.
I was tired from the driving and begged off, so we headed to the cabin to begin the arduous task of unloading the car. I had thought that I was being clever when I told TBH that we didn't use a certain item last year so there's no sense carting it all the way up there this year. She demurely acquiesced but then proceeded to fill in empty spots in the trunk with other stuff. I got the privilege of unloading it all and while she unpacked, I had a nap.
(To be cont'd)
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Your vakay sounds like a lot of fun so far. We don't have a real vacation planned for this year, but hopefully we'll be spending a week at Lake Winnepausakee next summer. *fingers crossed*
you're a braver man than I Gunga Din..LOL..in a wooden boat no less!? That takes huevos my friend!
Really does sound like you and TBH had a really fantastic time of it!
I'm really happy for you both...
Take care and be well,
Nick
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Really enjoying this, Ranter. Thanks for sharing.
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